Israeli airstrikes may be heard striking the southern suburbs of Dahieh, the capital of Lebanon. From their balconies, some people can even see the explosions lighting up the sky.
But it’s calm on the streets.
Uniformed volunteers are using walkie-talkies to coordinate their patrols around the largely Christian neighborhood.
In order to comfort homeowners who were concerned about crime, the neighborhood watch was established a few years ago in the wake of Lebanon’s financial crisis. Recent events, however, have altered the mission.
“We are worried about the large influx of displaced people into Beirut, and they have many needs, and it is very complicated,” explains Nadim Gemayel, who founded this.
When Israel intensified its air campaign against Hezbollah last month and then launched a ground invasion of the south, hundreds of thousands of families were forced to flee their homes, and communities all over Lebanon came together to help house and feed them.
However, moving people from the Iran-backed group’s stronghold in Shia Muslim areas—Dahieh, south Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley in the east—to areas that are primarily Sunni Muslim and Christian runs the risk of escalating sectarian tensions in a nation where memories of the 1975–1990 civil war are still fresh.
