After Hezbollah-Israel exchange, Lebanese wary conflict could drag on

After Hezbollah-Israel exchange, Lebanese wary conflict could drag on

By Mohammed Aty and Emilie Madi

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," said 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.