Even for the war-hardened Lebanese, four explosions in two weeks are too much to cope with.
Once-vibrant cafes lie empty, shopping malls are virtually deserted and late-night dining has been put on hold. In a movie theater, a woman watching the Will Smith comedy Hitch gets a cell phone call about a blast and exclaims "Infijar?!" ("explosion"), whereupon a dozen people quietly head for the door.
Outside the UN offices, workers fill sandbags and erect barriers. At a Beirut mall, newly hired private security guards check vehicles' trunks and engines and slide a mirror beneath the chassis looking for explosives. Restaurants put up roadblocks to keep cars from parking too close.
Fear is gripping Lebanon following a recent spate of bombs placed under or near cars that have killed three people and injured 24. The sense of security built up over years of postwar calm has been shattered, with rumors of bombs and suspicion of unclaimed bags feeding the hysteria.
"This brings back such bad memories," said Lina Haddad, 34, sitting on her balcony one night overlooking the empty streets. "I'm afraid to leave home. I look at every parked car and wonder if it will explode." She puts her children to bed in a windowless room.
Car bombings -- 3,641 of them that killed 4,386 people -- were a hallmark of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war but have been rare since. Many are too young to remember them. Lebanon is enjoying a tourism boom and a steady return to its prewar glory as a commercial hub.
All that changed with the explosion that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 19 others on a Beirut seafront street Feb. 14. The assassination shook Lebanon and touched off demonstrations against Syria and its 28-year troop presence in Lebanon. Counter-demonstrations in support of Syria followed, but Damascus nonetheless was forced to begin withdrawing its troops.
No one knows for sure who was behind the subsequent bombings. Anti-Syrian leaders blame Damascus and allied Lebanese security authorities, saying they are meant to show that Lebanon cannot cope without the Syrian army. The pro-Syrian camp blames saboteurs, saying they are destabilizing the country to invite international intervention.
The turmoil has raised fears of a return to civil war. So far, however, the political camps do not conform to the religious boundaries that figured in the 1975-1990 conflict. This time, there are Christians and Muslims on both sides of the debate.
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