The scene unfolding in Beirut’s southern suburbs these days is surreal. The once-crowded streets are now eerily quiet, and apartment buildings display signs reading “for sale” or “for rent,” while shops and large businesses have shuttered or relocated to safer areas, fearing their properties could soon be in danger again. 

What is happening is an unannounced yet unmistakable mass exodus. The southern suburbs, once alive with residents and activity, are now emptying out, a reflection of deep-seated security fears that have pushed many to leave as quickly as possible.

In recent weeks, trucks and moving vans have been spotted carrying furniture and household items out of neighborhoods such as Haret Hreik, Bourj al-Barajneh, Ghobeiry, and Mreijeh, toward al-Hadath, Baabda, Aley, and Hazmieh. The departures are driven by growing concerns over the possibility of a new war, as border tensions intensify and Israeli threats escalate.

At the same time, apartment prices have plummeted, in some cases by half or more, depending on location and the level of perceived risk in each street. Local sources report a surge in real estate listings for sale in recent weeks.

The security anxiety left behind by the so-called “support war” has also created growing discontent within Hezbollah’s own stronghold. The southern suburbs, once seen as the heart of the party’s influence, are no longer what they used to be. Many residents now recognize that the weapons failed to protect them, or even the group’s leaders, and that Lebanon as a whole has paid the price, with devastated villages and displaced communities.

This shifting reality marks a significant change in sentiment within Hezbollah’s Shiite base. Many have come to believe that the sacrifices are no longer justified, especially as their losses have served Iran’s interests and the ideology of velayat-e faqih rather than Lebanon’s. They feel they are paying the price for the October 7 war, even as the fighting in Gaza has largely subsided. Faced with this reality, this community now has a genuine opportunity to challenge the status quo and to reject the monopoly on arms and unilateral decision-making by electing new representatives in the next parliamentary elections; figures who put Lebanon and its people above all else, free from foreign agendas and regional ambitions.

Through it all, residents are acutely aware that the southern suburbs will remain a prime target in any future Israeli war. The question now facing Hezbollah is a stark one: between loyalty to Iran and the rhetoric of defiance toward the State, is this truly how you repay your own community? Wouldn’t it be wiser to hand over the weapons and return to the authority of the State?