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After Hezbollah-Israel Exchange, Lebanese Wary Conflict Could Drag On

Tyre resident Youssef Khalaf sits at a juice stand as he chats with a friend, in Tyre, southern Lebanon August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Purchase Licensing Rights
Tyre resident Youssef Khalaf sits at a juice stand as he chats with a friend, in Tyre, southern Lebanon August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Purchase Licensing Rights
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After Hezbollah-Israel Exchange, Lebanese Wary Conflict Could Drag On

Tyre resident Youssef Khalaf sits at a juice stand as he chats with a friend, in Tyre, southern Lebanon August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Purchase Licensing Rights
Tyre resident Youssef Khalaf sits at a juice stand as he chats with a friend, in Tyre, southern Lebanon August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Purchase Licensing Rights

Residents of Lebanese cities felt only partial relief on Monday that one of the biggest exchanges of fire between armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military the previous day was over, worn down by the relentless tension of 10 months of conflict.

Early on Sunday, Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel to avenge a commander killed in an Israeli strike last month. Israeli jets struck dozens of targets in south Lebanon, in what residents there said felt like the "apocalypse".

Many feared that the exchange of fire, the heaviest since hostilities began between Hezbollah and Israel in parallel with the war in Gaza, could trigger a regional conflagration.

But by the end of the day, both sides appeared to signal that the episode was over - for now.

"People are relieved, or are relieved a bit, because they took a breather after this attack," Reuters quoted Mohamed Ftouni, a Lebanese shop owner in the southern port city of Tyre.

"We hope that something good will happen, to have some commercial activity and for the situation to improve. Our only hope is that there will be a ceasefire so that we can be done (with war) in Gaza and here, for people to relax more."

Hezbollah has said that it will not stop firing at Israel without a ceasefire for Gaza. Talks on a truce have yet to produce a deal.

- IMPACT ON TOURISM

The intensity of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel has ratcheted up steadily, displacing tens of thousands of people on either side of the Lebanese-Israeli frontier and striking a blow to Lebanon's tourism industry, which relies heavily on the summer season.

Fears of a major escalation spiked after a strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 young people. The Israeli military assassinated Hezbollah's top military commander Fuad Shukr in response, and Hezbollah vowed to avenge him - leaving the region anxious that a full-scale war was looming.

However, after Sunday's exchange, both Israel and Hezbollah appeared to resume the previous pace of strikes. Hezbollah claimed two attacks on Israeli military posts by Monday, and an Israeli strike in south Lebanon targeted an official from Palestinian faction Hamas. He survived, a security source said.

Ibrahim Hussein, another shopkeeper in Tyre, said Lebanon was now back to "the same situation as before".

But the situation has been enough to rattle many Lebanese. On Monday afternoon, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier over Beirut, shaking glass throughout the city.

Talal Sidani, the owner of an artisanal shop in the capital, said he would rather get a war over with than be constantly nervous about when it could start.

"War? Let there be war. We want to work. There's no work, here we are sitting. Especially us, we have touristic stores, and we rely on tourism - if there is no tourism, bye bye my dears," he told Reuters.

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UN Peacekeepers in South Lebanon Crossfire

A peacekeeper of the Spanish Contingent looks through binoculars from a watchpost at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)
A peacekeeper of the Spanish Contingent looks through binoculars from a watchpost at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)
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UN Peacekeepers in South Lebanon Crossfire

A peacekeeper of the Spanish Contingent looks through binoculars from a watchpost at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)
A peacekeeper of the Spanish Contingent looks through binoculars from a watchpost at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)

On the deserted border between Lebanon and Israel, Spanish UN peacekeepers have for more than 10 months effectively been caught in a war zone.

Several Blue Helmets have been wounded in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah party, which has also left dozens of Lebanese civilians dead in fallout from the war between Israel and Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

"Sometimes we need to shelter because of the shelling... sometimes even inside the bunkers," said Alvaro Gonzalez Gavalda, a Blue Helmet at Base 964 of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

To reach the base, AFP journalists escorted in a UNIFIL convoy passed through virtually deserted villages. Only the occasional grocer or automotive repair shop were still open along the road where fields have been left charred by bombardment.

The base, surrounded by barbed wire and protected with heavy stone-filled berms, is not far from the town of Khiam, where dozens of houses have been destroyed or damaged, about five kilometers (three miles) from the border.

Over a wall that marks the frontier, the Israeli town of Metula is clearly visible. It has also been emptied of residents, as have other communities on both sides of the boundary.

Peacekeepers of the Spanish Contingent in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol along the Jdeideh-Marjeyoun highway in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)

Keeping watch

From a watchtower, binoculars help the peacekeepers see further -- into the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel. The area has been a frequent target of Hezbollah fire.

Spanish Lieutenant Colonel Jose Irisarri said their mission, under Security Council Resolution 1701, is to "control the area" and help the Lebanese government and armed forces establish control south of the Litani River, which is around 30 kilometers from the border with Israel.

The resolution ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

It called for all armed personnel to pull back north of the Litani, except for Lebanese state security forces and United Nations peacekeepers.

While Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence in the border area since then, the group still holds sway over large parts of the south.

When Hamas fighters from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel on October 7, triggering war with Israel, Hezbollah opened what it calls a "support front" a day later, launching rockets and other fire from southern Lebanon against Israeli positions.

Israel has hit back with air strikes and artillery fire.

"Some of these villages are completely empty. There is no one living there because of the risk and the constant attacks they are suffering," Irisarri said.

Peacekeepers of the Spanish Contingent sit in a building at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)

The Security Council first established UNIFIL in 1978 after Israel invaded south Lebanon. Its mission was expanded after the 2006 war.

Now, with fears of a wider regional war in which Lebanon would be on the front line, the UN's Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said UNIFIL's role is "more important than ever".

Spain's contingent of 650 soldiers, based at several positions, are among around 10,000 troops from 49 countries in the mission.

"It's the only liaison channel between the Israeli side and the Lebanese side in all its components, such as Hezbollah," Lacroix told AFP in early August.

UNIFIL's mandate expires at the end of August and Lebanon has asked for its renewal.

Cross-border violence since the Gaza war started has killed 601 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including at least 131 civilians, according to an AFP tally.

The Israeli authorities have announced the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians since the fighting began, including in the annexed Golan Heights.

A dog sits near a peacekeeper at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Spanish Contingent barracks near Khiam in southern Lebanon on August 23, 2024. (AFP)

Far from home

The Spaniards don't just limit themselves to their core mission. They also give "support and some help" to the local population, Irisarri said.

As an example, he said their psychological team assists students with special needs.

AFP was unable to visit the school during its tour on Friday, after the Spanish contingent raised the security level following exchanges of fire in the area.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon's south on Friday killed seven Hezbollah fighters and a local child, according to Hezbollah and Lebanon's health ministry. Israel said its military aircraft had hit "terrorist" targets.

The peacekeepers have little time to rest, but have the company of two adopted dogs.

When they do have leisure time, "we go to the gym to keep fit and also we enjoy watching movies and talking to some friends", said Gavalda.

He has been in Lebanon since May.

"We miss our families," but internet enables them to stay in touch almost daily, Gavalda said.