BEIRUT — The southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah, was left traumatised by powerful Israeli airstrikes that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Residents, including Zahraa, an eight-month pregnant woman, feared for their lives as the relentless bombardment shook the city.
Zahraa described her terror: “The baby wasn’t even moving in my stomach, and I was so scared that something happened.” She and her family, along with countless others, fled the area as the explosions grew more intense. Many displaced residents had nowhere to seek refuge, with schools used as shelters already packed with people fleeing southern Lebanon. Aid workers struggled to direct them, leading to confusion and desperation.
Nasrallah’s death marks a significant blow to Hezbollah, further escalating tensions in the ongoing war between Israel and the Iran-backed group. The strikes have also heightened uncertainty for the residents of Dahiyeh and Beirut, as the conflict rages on. Ali Hussein Alaadin, 28, expressed frustration and disorientation after fleeing his home. “We’ve been going around in circles all night,” he said, noting the difficulty in finding aid or shelter.
Dalal Daher, who slept in the open in Beirut’s Martyrs Square, lamented the world’s silence: “For us, everyone is displaced, and the whole world is silent about it, the United Nations and everyone is silent, as if we are not human beings.”
The relentless Israeli bombardment has left the residents of Beirut shaken and uncertain, with no clear end in sight to the violence.