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In a scene that raised concern among residents, masked and armed members of Hezbollah deployed heavily on Wednesday night in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahyeh), checking people’s identities in a move aimed at tightening control over the party’s stronghold.
Security concerns are the main motive for Hezbollah’s heightened control amid its unabating conflict with Israel since it initiated its so-called “support front” for Gaza on October 8.
Informed journalist Kassem Kassir told This Is Beirut that as of recently, specifically since German and Dutch UNIFIL peacekeepers entered Dahyeh “by mistake,” and following reported arrests of Israeli collaborators, “Hezbollah has been taking necessary measures to monitor the region and prevent any security breach.”
“There is concern that Israel could be preparing a security incident (in Dahyeh) and gathering information, prompting Hezbollah to take precautionary measures, some of which are made public,” Kassir said.
He pointed out that the Lebanese army is deployed at the entrances of the southern suburb and intervenes occasionally, in case of a security incident. “But inside Dahyeh, Hezbollah coordinates with municipality police,” he added.
On Thursday morning, a resident of Beirut’s southern suburb told This Is Beirut that Hezbollah’s members were deployed in Dahyeh to crack down on a growing number of drug gangs and illicit trade dealers, including Syrians and Palestinians.
But according to Kassir, Hezbollah is “completely uninvolved” in drug-related matters or any criminal activities, which are, instead, handled by the Army’s Intelligence and Internal Security Forces (ISF).
Future security incidents are “not ruled out,” according to Kassir, citing the killing of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in an Israeli drone attack in the heart of Hezbollah’s hotbed in January.
Kassir wondered whether “Arouri’s assassin is not able to carry out another operation,” adding that “anything is possible.”
Hezbollah’s media office was not available for comment on Wednesday’s measures.
Incidents in which UNIFIL peacekeepers strayed into Dahyeh and clashed with pro-Hezbollah residents have recurred in recent months. Residents have objected to peacekeepers navigating their vehicles through residential neighborhoods.
Following an incident in February, UNIFIL Deputy Spokesperson Kandice Ardiel commented that “peacekeepers have the freedom and authorization from the Lebanese government to move throughout Lebanon for administrative and logistical reasons.”
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