The assembly of equipment at the Tyre port, following a fishing outing, on February 8, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/OLJ)
Fishermen in South Lebanon did not go out on Tuesday, as noted by an AFP journalist, following an evacuation order from the Israeli army warning that it was preparing to extend its operations against Hezbollah in the « coastal zone. »
In Saida, at the port, fishing boats and the few vessels that usually transported vacationers remained at dock ; the fish market was unusually quiet.
Mohammad el-Samra, the secretary-general of the Saida fishermen's union, told L’Orient-Le Jour correspondent Mountasser Abdallah that warnings against fishing activities had come from both the spokesperson for the Israeli army and Lebanese law enforcement. He stated that 173 boats remained docked overnight in Saida, and this new crisis would affect 400 families who live day to day from fishing profits. « We urgently call on officials to help us, » he said.
« Our families will go hungry »
Rabih Sunbul, a fisherman from Saida, assured L’OLJ that he did not go out to sea with his brother that night due to the threats. « Only a few fishermen went out before the threats, but they haven’t been able to retrieve their nets for fear of strikes, » he continued, adding that a few others tried to move their boats to other ports but were unsuccessful. « If a blockade is imposed, it will be a major challenge for us because our families will go hungry. Every fisherman has a family that has no insurance, » Rabih stated.
« Yesterday at 9 p.m., we were officially informed by the Lebanese army that it was forbidden to go out to sea, and we respect that order, » he explained.
« If this continues, the fish market will soon close, » warned Mohammed Bidaoui, also a member of the Saida fishermen's union, in a call with AFP as he walked through the nearly deserted aisles of the market. For Bidaoui, « 5,000 to 6,000 people » find themselves « in a difficult situation. » « We need to help the fishermen and the merchants of the fish market, » he pleaded.
On Monday night, the Israeli army, now in open war in Lebanon where it conducts daily bombings and ground incursions, ordered residents not to go to the beaches or at sea in the southern part of the country, which borders Israel. The Israeli armed forces announced that they would soon target « terrorist activities of Hezbollah in the coastal area » of the south, which stretches approximately 60 kilometers.
