Sawt Falasteen - 'Extra-tense': powder-keg Israeli port braces for bombardment

The historic city cascades down a steep hillside to the very edge of the port, a complex which contains Israel's biggest oil refinery, giant fuel tanks and other highly flammable targets.

Memories are vivid in Haifa, about 30 kilometres (less than 20 miles) from the Lebanese border, of the 2006 war with Hezbollah when the militant group's rockets repeatedly slammed into the city, reducing homes to rubble and leaving more than a dozen people dead.

Residents are also aware of the notorious Beirut port blast that killed more than 220 people, injured at least 6,500 and devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital in August 2020.

Haifa is now in the crosshairs once again with Iran and its proxies feared to be preparing an attack over last week's killings of top officials from Hezbollah and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"Of course it's a main concern, especially after what we've seen happening four years ago in the harbour of Beirut," long-time resident Patrice Wolff told AFP, when asked about the potential for a big explosion.

"We know how damaging it can be, a blast from this area, so we are very conscious of it. And we certainly hope it will not come to be that bad."

- 'We are very exposed' -

Haifa's Mount Carmel offers panoramic views across the city, port, Israeli coast and northern Israel, all the way up to the mountainous, disputed border.

However, the area has come under repeated drone attack in recent days, increasing jitters in the frontline region.

The residents of Haifa, population 280,000, know the drill: if the air raid siren sounds, or is alerted via smartphone, they have one minute to reach a bomb shelter or secure area.

Wolff, 58, who works for a medical supplies company, sleeps with his phone next to him in case of an alert.

"We're all very conscious of the risk and we know what to do if things would go astray. We have instructions from the civil defence on how to behave," he said.

"We certainly hope that it will not come to this extent but we are very exposed because we're in a straight line from Lebanon."

As tensions climb, the number of tourists to the laid-back, beachside city -- home to Jews, Muslims and Christians -- has plunged.

"There are fewer tourists now; there used to be a lot, but now there are fewer. Business is slow," said Nadia Abu-Shaker of Humus Abu Shaker, a popular restaurant close to the port.

"Many people are afraid and don't leave their homes, they don't go anywhere," she added.

However, the prospect of an attack does not faze Abu-Shaker, who lived through the 2006 Hezbollah strikes as well as 1991, when Iraqi missile fire hit her home.

"I'm not afraid. I live near the port, at the Abu Shaker restaurant. If there is a war, I'm not afraid because I know that God protects us," she said.

- 'We don't trust them' -

Many of Haifa's hotel rooms are occupied by evacuees from border areas, forced out of their homes by Hezbollah shelling since the Israel-Hamas war started in October.

The city has made careful preparations for an attack, opening bomb shelters with capacity for tens of thousands of people, according to Leonid Reznik, head of emergency preparedness at the Haifa municipality.

The shelters, many of which are converted underground car parks, can house people for days at a time and come equipped with generators, wifi, water and first aid, he said.

Kindergarten teachers will be deployed to the bigger shelters to keep young children occupied, Reznik added.

Haifa's main hospital, which received dead and wounded soldiers during the 2006 war with Lebanon, has a large underground facility that is already in use, he said.

"Because we're waiting for the response from the Iranians or Hezbollah, we understand that something will happen. They will not do nothing. They will respond in some way," Reznik said.

"We hope it will not be shooting into the city but we understand something will happen."

Reassurances that some of the most explosive chemicals have been removed from the port do not reassure Andre Suidan, whose wine shop overlooks the complex.

"We don't trust them. We don't trust that they did (move the chemicals)," said the Haifa native, 57, calling the refinery's presence "horrific".

"People are completely impatient and they're completely stressed out. These are not normal times," Suidan said.

"It's affecting people on the street, it's affecting people everywhere. Everybody's extra-tense."

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST