photo- In the narrow alleys of the “Christian Quarter” in the northwestern part of the city of Tyre, life seems to be trying to regain its usual rhythm. The doors of the old stone houses are still open on guard, while some residents sit in front of their homes, exchanging casual daily conversations.
But behind this apparent calm, the impact of the latest Israeli warning remains present in the details of the place, the faces of its residents, and their recent memories.
The neighborhood, which is one of the oldest and most private neighborhoods in Tire, suddenly returned to the forefront of the scene, after an Israeli warning about the presence of Hezbollah elements inside it, which sparked a state of anxiety among the residents and prompted the Lebanese army to take security and precautionary measures in the area.
He refused to leave
Even though days have passed since that warning, Lebanese citizen Zakia still recalls those moments with some confusion. She stands in front of her house, which she has refused to leave over the past months, and tells Al Jazeera Net: “We were afraid at the Israeli warning, of course. Fear is a natural feeling for everyone, but we preferred to stay in our home.”
She added that the people of southern Lebanon are now living in the wake of successive surprises, and it is impossible to predict what the coming hours may bring. She stressed, “Fear exists to this day and is renewed every once in a while. I do not think there is anyone in Tire or in the south who does not feel it, but we are trying to be steadfast and continue our lives.”
But the past months have brought with them a lot of anxiety for the residents of the neighborhood, as well as dozens of displaced people who took refuge in Tire to escape the bombing that targeted the villages and towns of the south.
In one of the alleys of the Christian Quarter, Camille Duro recalls that stage, and told Al Jazeera Net that the neighborhood has always been a model of coexistence between its various social and religious components, as Muslims and Christians have lived side by side for many decades. He stressed, “Life here is based on familiarity and cooperation among everyone. The war imposed difficult circumstances on the people, but the relations between the people of the neighborhood remained strong.”
With successive waves of displacement, the population increased significantly, which imposed living and psychological pressures on everyone. Doro explained, “People live under great pressure, so some problems sometimes occurred, but they were quickly resolved, and everyone returned to sitting and coexisting normally.”
He recalled a scene from the hours that followed one of the previous warnings, when fear gripped the neighborhood’s residents and the displaced people residing there. He said, “At that time, about half of the neighborhood’s residents and many of the displaced people left, until the place seemed almost empty of people.”
Return scenes
But the scene today seems relatively different, as many have returned to their homes, and movement has returned to the streets and small shops, while residents are trying to restore the rhythm of their daily lives, despite the continued anxiety that hangs over the people of the south.
The Christian Quarter holds special importance in the historical and social fabric of Tyre, as it is located in the heart of the old city, and forms part of its collective memory, that coastal city in which many civilizations have succeeded over the centuries.
The neighborhood is distinguished by its old stone houses, churches, and alleys that still maintain their heritage character, and for many years it has remained a space for coexistence between members of different sects.
Today, while security tensions continue in southern Lebanon, its residents find themselves faced with the equation of fear of the unknown on the one hand, and clinging to place on the other hand.
At the end of one of the alleys, a woman passed carrying bags of bread returning to her home, while children played near the entrance to an old house. The scenes seem ordinary on the surface, but for the residents they carry a different meaning. Every daily detail has become a form of quiet resistance to fear.
Despite the warnings and anxiety that accompany them, they cling to their lives as they have always known it, believing that these alleys, which have witnessed decades of coexistence and steadfastness, are able to maintain their pulse even in the most cruel moments.
City of coexistence
For its part, the Municipality of Tire confirms that what the neighborhood has witnessed in recent days has not changed its nature as part of the historical fabric of the city that has always brought together its people of all affiliations.
The head of the municipal public relations committee, Walid Al-Taweel, told Al Jazeera Net that the city has never known discrimination between a Muslim and a Christian, explaining that the name of the neighborhood is due only to the fact that the majority of its residents are Christians. He added that the neighborhood includes a number of hotels and guest houses, and is located within the touristic fabric of Tire, which made any talk about it receive wide interest among residents and visitors.
Al-Taweel pointed out that the recent Israeli warning, which called for the evacuation of any non-civilian or armed presence inside the area, raised a state of concern, but the municipality followed up on the matter on the ground. He stressed, “At our request, the Lebanese Army carried out inspection tours in residential neighborhoods, and it was found that those present were civilian families, including women, men, and children, without detecting any armed presence or wanted persons, as was rumored.”
According to him, the army strengthened its precautionary measures, setting up observation points at the entrances to the neighborhood, and inspections also included hotels and guest houses, without registering any strange elements or wanted persons.
Al-Taweel believes that the uproar that was raised around the neighborhood was greater than the events on the ground, noting that some of the information circulated on social media contributed to exaggerating the scene, despite it not being proven on the ground. He confirmed that the neighborhood gradually regained its calm, pointing out that a number of residents left in the first hours after the warning, before returning successively the next day.
He stressed that the return of residents is continuing naturally, and that the hesitation that appears among some is related to the conditions of movement more than to fears within the neighborhood, adding, “This is the Tire that we have always known… the city of coexistence that brings together its people despite all the circumstances.”
The municipality’s story coincides with what the neighborhood’s residents themselves say, that fear was present in the first moments, but it did not succeed in pushing them to leave. As the tension subsided, life gradually returned to the old alleys, and with it the image of a neighborhood that used to face anxiety with calm daily resilience.
