In Lebanon, some towns fear Hezbollah members are among the Shia refugees pouring in
Abdallah Tawachi on his moped talking to a group of friends who run daily surveillance of their neighbourhood in Ebbe, Tripoli.
Lebanon's second-largest city, Tripoli, has largely been spared the Israeli air strikes smashing the country's south, Beqaa Valley and southern Beirut.
But the influx of refugees has exposed ongoing tensions in the country between its Shia, Sunni and Christian communities.
Tripoli, from which many Australian Lebanese immigrated, is mainly home to Sunni Muslims who oppose the Shia militant group Hezbollah, which is listed by Australian governments as a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Since Israel escalated its bombing and began ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in late September, Tripoli residents have feared Hezbollah members fleeing Israel's attacks might be moving to the city.
"We are aware that most refugees support Hezbollah, nevertheless we have welcomed them. Yet, we will not allow them to provoke us with Hezbollah stickers," says Abdallah Tawachi, a young community activist in Ebbe, an edgy, rundown Tripoli neighbourhood.
Mr Tawachi and his supporters ride their mopeds all day undertaking surveillance across their neighbourhood.
Many of Tripoli's young men suspect Hezbollah infiltration and are scrutinising each new arrival with heightened caution.
"There might be Hezbollah executives masquerading as refugees. Israel may eventually target them," Mr Tawachi told the ABC.
Tripoli has largely been spared from Israeli air strikes, but not the surge of refugees.
Troubled past
The distrust between Tripoli's Sunnis and Shia Muslims from other parts of Lebanon goes back decades.
A bloody conflict ran from 1976 to 2015 between the Alawite Shia sect of the Jabal Mohsen area, supported by Hezbollah, and the Sunnis of Bab el Tebbane in the suburbs of Tripoli.
Then the Syrian civil war in 2011 saw thousands of refugees settle in Tripoli. They were supportive of the revolution against Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad, while thousands of Hezbollah fighters went over the border to help keep him in power.
Now, Israel's bombing campaign against Hezbollah has seen about 1.2 million Lebanese flee their homes, according to the country's government, with many heading to the north.
The UN refugee agency's Middle East director, Rema Jamous Imseis, said on Tuesday that Israeli evacuation orders now applied to more than a quarter of the country.
As refugees move into new towns, locals like Mr Tawachi worry about their allegiances.
"This week we were surprised that [some] refugees settled in apartments bought by Hezbollah over the last year. It all looked as if it was planned for months. They paid twice the price for the apartments to ensure the purchases," he said.
His friend Omar fears Hezbollah wants to increase its presence and influence in Tripoli.
"The objective could be a demographic change in the north, and a subtle infiltration of Hezbollah members and cells into the second Lebanese city that has always historically been against the Party of God," he said.
On Monday, October 14, an Israeli air strike killed at least 23 people in the Christian village of Aitou, about 30 kilometres from Tripoli.
According to local TV network LBCI, the target was a Hezbollah member who had been touring Shia refugees to help them.
Abdallah Tawachi has been patrolling the streets of Tripoli amid the ongoing conflict.
Clashes on social media
There have already been confrontations between Tripoli's Sunnis and Shia migrants.
A social media video of one incident, shot in late September at Tripoli's Kazofa Cafe, provoked an outcry among the Shia community.
The short clip showed young Sunni men demanding a man identify himself while they removed a poster of a martyr with a Hezbollah logo printed on it from his car window.
"You come from Dahieh with your gun and your Nasrallah sticker. Pick up your guns and get the hell out of here," shouted the cafe owner in the video.
The ABC went to Ebbe the following day to meet the cafe owner and witnesses.
After the video circulated, police raided the cafe, interrogated the owner and banned him from talking to the media.
Ahmad Moussa witnessed the fight in the cafe.
Resident Ahmad Moussa, who witnessed the incident, agreed to speak.
"We don't have a problem with the Shia, but we don't like Hezbollah," he said.
"They came into our neighbourhoods and began to provoke us, and that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.
"We won't tolerate refugees with guns who will bring war to Tripoli."
Strikes expand
A deadly drone strike by the Israel Defense Forces on a residential building near the Beddawi Refugee Camp on October 5 renewed residents' fears about being drawn into the war.
The attack killed Hamas commander Saeed Attallah Ali and his family.
This was the first time Tripoli was bombed by Israel during the conflict, raising concerns that it may not be the last.
Mr Tawachi has strong views against Iran he suspects will end up creating clashes between sects.
"Wherever Iran goes, it generates problems."
By：https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-17/lebanon-shia-refugees-put-some-towns-on-edge/104477262(责任编辑：admin)
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