Civilians in Lebanon were gripped with fear after a series of Israeli airstrikes hit the center of Beirut, killing at least 22 people and injuring 117 others, as confirmed by the Lebanese health ministry. The attacks, which caused widespread devastation, left survivors questioning the escalating violence and the toll it is taking on ordinary people.
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“This is no longer a war, this is a massacre,” said Ali Mehio, a 53-year-old warehouse worker from Beirut. Expressing his despair, Mehio described how the attacks seemed indiscriminate. “Sometimes the Israelis send warnings for evacuations, and other times they strike without any notice,” he explained. His frustration and fear were evident as he spoke of the chaos and the lack of safety for civilians. “It feels like there are no boundaries anymore. They kill civilians, rescue workers, bomb hospitals, the Lebanese army, even the UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL).”
Mehio, like many others, found it difficult to reconcile the devastation around him with the idea of self-defense. “Is this really self-defense?” he asked, his voice heavy with disbelief and anger. “All that’s happening now is more killing and destruction.” Mehio’s words echoed the sentiments of many others who felt that the conflict was spiraling out of control, with civilians paying the highest price.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the Beirut strikes, which have drawn sharp criticism from both Lebanese civilians and the international community.
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Another Beirut resident, Hamid Nasser, a 61-year-old technician, expressed his outrage over the civilian casualties. “What excuse does Israel have for the international community? Killing civilians just for the sake of it?” Nasser asked. He voiced his doubts about the narrative that the war was solely against Hezbollah, a militant group based in Lebanon. “They say the war is against Hezbollah, but that’s not what we’re seeing on the ground. What we’re witnessing is killing for the sake of killing. This is no longer about self-defense.”
Nasser, like many others, had been displaced by the conflict. Originally from Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut heavily associated with Hezbollah, he had fled to a different part of the city, only to find himself once again in the midst of danger. His frustration highlighted the plight of many Lebanese civilians who have been forced to move repeatedly, only to face the same threats in different parts of the country.
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Dany Rahme, a 49-year-old insurance broker from Jounieh, a Christian area in northern Beirut, expressed a growing sense of abandonment by the international community. “It feels like the U.S. and the West are just looking the other way, waiting for the results,” Rahme said. His words reflected the broader feeling among many Lebanese that global powers were not doing enough to intervene or prevent the violence from escalating further. Rahme also voiced a chilling concern that the worst might be yet to come. “These are only small steps,” he said. “The big step is still the big strike on Iran.”
Rahme’s fears are shared by many who believe that the conflict could widen beyond Lebanon’s borders, potentially drawing in other countries and further destabilizing the region. The fear of an impending escalation weighs heavily on the minds of many civilians, who already feel besieged by the violence they are currently enduring.
In the midst of this chaos, there are growing calls for international intervention and for world leaders to take a stronger stance on the conflict. As the death toll rises and the destruction continues, many Lebanese civilians are left questioning how much longer they can endure this nightmare. The strikes on Beirut, particularly in areas that were once considered safer or less affected by the conflict, have shaken the population and left many feeling that no place is truly safe anymore.
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The targeting of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and UN peacekeepers, has led to widespread condemnation and raised serious concerns about the conduct of the conflict. For many Lebanese, the strikes on Beirut represent a terrifying new phase of the war, where the lines between military and civilian targets have become increasingly blurred.
As the world watches, the people of Lebanon are left to grapple with the immediate impact of the violence, the loss of loved ones, and the destruction of their homes and communities. The growing sense of despair is palpable, as many fear that the situation will only get worse before it gets better.
In the face of such devastation, Lebanese civilians are calling for an end to the violence and for greater international efforts to bring about a lasting peace. For Mehio, Nasser, Rahme, and countless others, the conflict has brought nothing but suffering, and the hope for a future free from fear and violence seems increasingly distant.
