While the Doha Agreement may have paved the way for something akin to reconciliation, under the surface, wounds are still raw in Beirut after the offensive carried out by Hezbollah-led militias last month – and anger is still boiling. The consequences of the failure by certain factions to abide by Doha’s security provisions, which banned any resort to weapons, have become painfully clear in recent days, with small clashes breaking out in the capital and its environs.

On Tuesday night, four unidentified gunmen – two reportedly wearing the uniform of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) or parliamentary police – opened fire on Imad Zaghloul, a Future Movement supporter and resident of Tariq al-Jedideh, in the Jnah area of Beirut.

In reaction, the Future Movement vowed to withdraw from negotiations over the next cabinet until the security clauses of the agreement could be implemented. Then, last night, crowds gathered outside the hospital where Zaghloul remains in critical condition. Quarrels between the crowd and security officials again erupted into violence. Meanwhile, another Future supporter from Tariq al-Jedideh was shot, this time in Bchamoun, and additional clashes broke out in Ras al-Nabaa, Sabra, Qasqas and Barbir.

As domestic and regional leaders work overtime to calm the situation, residents of Beirut flashpoints are optimistic that clashes will subside – but only temporarily. Until the wrongs of last month’s siege are formally redressed, stability will not return to the streets of Lebanon’s mixed areas – regardless of whether it returns to the political sphere.

“He is not my partner, I cannot live with him”

“The clashes will be repeated, and I expect more violence because people here are boiling with feelings of anger and revenge,” said Mohammad, a resident of Tariq al-Jedideh.

Lina, who lives in the mixed neighborhood of Barbour, told NOW Lebanon several days before this week’s incidents that she would not feel safe as long Hezbollah is still armed, and no guarantees that they will not repeat their actions have been provided. “How can we be partners now in building the same country?” she asked. “When no one is held accountable, I cannot feel secure.”

Lina also reported that Amal members had increased their presence in the neighborhood, especially around their party centers. “This presence is intimidating a lot of residents, both Sunnis and Shia, because they feel now they are under their control, although the war is over. They are not armed, but we all know that they can get hold of arms in a second, so it doesn’t mean anything,” she added.

One detail noted by Lina bears particular significance after the Tuesday night attack: Speaking of the sudden proliferation of opposition bases, belonging particularly to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) and Amal, Lina noted that “you can often see members of the parliamentary police, sitting around in their official uniforms” at the new installations in her area.

Loaded silence

Down Hamra Street in Ras Beirut, a group of SSNP members with walkie-talkies still occupies the space in front of a deserted gas station. Surrounded by the party’s symbols and flags, they “are just sitting there for no reason,” as one member told NOW Lebanon.

When asked if they knew that their presence is intimidating the residents of Hamra, he said that they only “reclaimed Ras Beirut from other militias, because we had originally controlled the area before they came.” When asked if they had attacked civilians in the process, the SSNP member replied, “We gave back every single house we occupied to its owner.”

The SSNP members admitted to possessing arms and shooting at people, but they all denied that the streets of Hamra were tense. “We are also residents of Ras Beirut, and as you see, Hamra is buzzing with life again,” another member declared.

However, a Hamra resident who lives one block away from the gas station reported that the SSNP intimidates people all the time with stares, and that they give dirty looks to young women passing by their gathering points. “They proved they are nothing but a militia and we will never trust them again,” she said, adding that the Doha Agreement is not a guarantee without an accountability mechanism to punish those who went beyond the law.

The collective memory of the street

When asked if they are worried about being held accountable to the law for their actions, the SSNP members assured NOW Lebanon that this would never happen “because this is Lebanon, and people are never punished when it comes to political clashes.”

However, many believe that new phase can only begin when the dark moments of the past are remembered. “They should at least admit their mistake, and stop justifying the violence as something necessary to defend their arms,” said Leila, a resident of Mazraa.

“I only want an apology to be able to go on, nothing more,” said Nabil, who lives in Ras al-Nabaa. “Otherwise, Beirut will not forgive them.”

People may be willing to rise beyond their wounds for the sake of peace and a prosperous future for Lebanon, but fear and anger cannot be quelled when those who occupied Beirut still stroll in its streets with conquering stares. As long as the Doha Agreement’s security components are not robustly implemented, and violators are not held accountable, peace and stability will be just a mirage.