Fishermen in the Lebanese city of Tyre, like others, are suffering from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Amidst clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, sailing in fishing areas close to these confrontations has become extremely dangerous. Although the fighting has largely remained confined to the borders so far, fishermen say they only venture out a few miles from Tyre, where the sound of explosions from the fighting can be heard from 20 kilometers away.
A Lebanese security source stated that fishermen were allowed to fish normally in Tyre but without approaching the floating barriers that separate Lebanese and Israeli waters. Approximately two thousand people work in the fishing industry in Tyre, an ancient civilization center from which the Phoenicians sailed across the Mediterranean.
In the harbor near the old city, small white fishing boats were seen tied up as fishermen placed fish into buckets. The residents of Tyre cannot endure more hardships, as they, like the rest of the Lebanese, have been suffering from the collapse of the country's financial system four years ago, which has driven many into poverty.
United Nations figures indicate that fish and seafood production in Lebanon generates an estimated annual revenue of around $377 million and serves as a source of income for more than four thousand families. Ibrahim Suwaidan, who started fishing 40 years ago at the age of ten, shared that he has not fished for two weeks due to fears for his life, depriving him of the income that would have helped him through the winter. He added that fishing boats have remained docked due to the fishermen's fear.
