1776Reporting
As night falls over Beirut, the once peaceful hours of rest have turned into a time of terror and anticipation. The sound of Israeli strikes fills the air, leaving residents wide awake, wondering where the next attack will land. “Every night, we say this is the toughest night,” one resident told NBC News after a particularly intense night of strikes, including one that hit central Beirut.
In the city of Zouk Mosbeh, just outside the capital, the fear is palpable. When darkness descends, it is no longer sleep that residents expect, but the haunting possibility of an Israeli missile. The attacks have reached deep into the city, keeping everyone on edge and making rest a luxury few can afford. As residents brace themselves for the next explosion, they are left in constant fear of what the future holds for their war-weary country.
Hala Kobaissi, a makeup artist from Beirut’s Salim Salam neighborhood, recounted the horror she felt when a nearby strike shattered the night’s silence. “I spent the hours from dusk to dawn in total shock,” she said, as the terrifying sounds of shattered glass and screams filled the air. Living so close to the destruction, she feels no place is safe anymore. “Nowhere is secure now,” she added, her voice reflecting the anxiety shared by many in the city.
Residents like Hiam Khoury, who lives in the Beirut suburb of Hadath, describe their sleepless nights as an unrelenting nightmare. After Israel launched its most significant attack on the capital, Khoury and her 19-year-old son spent another sleepless night. “Everything was shaking,” she recalled. “We didn’t sleep. How can you, even if the bombing stops?”
The trauma extends across the country. More than 1,300 lives have been lost, and 1.2 million people displaced since Israel intensified its military campaign. Shelters are overflowing, leaving families with no choice but to sleep on the streets, in playgrounds, or parking lots. For many, it’s a matter of survival as they wonder when the next strike will hit.
“For the last three days, people have been on edge,” said Rayan Youness, a school teacher in Beirut’s Hamra neighborhood. “They’re staying up until the early hours, wondering if the explosion is going to hit them or someone they know.”
Youness described how the presence of reaper drones above the city has become a constant reminder of the ever-looming threat. “From the moment we wake up until the moment we try to fall asleep, there are reaper drones above our heads. Is this normal?” he asked, reflecting the sentiments of many who feel the situation is far from ordinary.
On the frontlines of providing aid, Dr. Tania Baban, who works with the humanitarian nonprofit MedGlobal, shared her horror at the latest strike. She described the panic of families being forced to flee once again after seeking refuge in Beirut. “Can you imagine being woken up by a blast, then told to evacuate within minutes?” she asked, painting a vivid picture of the chaos that has become the new normal for so many.
Baban herself has barely slept, working long hours to provide basic necessities to displaced civilians. “As soon as the sun sets, we know something’s going to happen,” she said, echoing the collective fear shared by many in the city.
Experts are weighing in on Israel’s strategy, with Matthew Savill, a director of military sciences, explaining that nighttime strikes give a tactical advantage to those equipped for such operations. However, the complexity of fighting in the dark shouldn’t be underestimated, he added.
The U.S. has been vocal in its calls for a ceasefire, but for those living in Lebanon, the conflict only seems to be intensifying. As Khoury put it, staying up all night, “traumatized,” has become routine. “We don’t have a place to go, and we don’t want to leave our house and stay on the street,” she said, capturing the exhaustion felt by many. “We are exhausted.”
Each night feels like a test of endurance as Beirut’s residents wait for peace that seems ever more elusive.
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