The streets had been darkish and automobiles packed. Individuals, who moved on foot, carried luggage with their belongings, not sure about the place they had been going however sure that they might not keep.
This was the scene in Nuweiri, in central Beirut, moments after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings, the primary for these areas.
We had been making an attempt to go to the positioning of an Israeli air strike hours earlier, within the afternoon, that got here with out warning, flattened one constructing and killed not less than seven individuals. However we couldn’t get there.
Crowds had been leaving, and males on motorbikes stopped us from transferring, saying it was not secure.
Minutes later, we heard a number of explosions, from extra assaults. And for hours, that was how the evening unfolded in Beirut. A number of blasts. Some within the distance; others nearer.
Gunshots introduced extra warnings, urging individuals to hunt security. All of this, with the fixed sound of an Israeli drone flying overhead.
This dramatic escalation got here because the nation waited for an Israeli resolution on a ceasefire deal, the principle hope to finish over a yr of battle with Hezbollah, the highly effective Iranian-backed motion.
Throughout that wait, Israel unleashed its most intense bombardment of Beirut within the battle.
Inside two minutes, shortly after the assault on Nuweiri, fighter jets hit 20 targets within the metropolis’s southern suburbs, often called Dahieh, the place Hezbollah relies within the metropolis.
The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned the targets hit had been amenities utilized by Hezbollah, and the wave of assaults was heard throughout the town.
Now, a ceasefire has been formally introduced, however questions stay.
The struggle has been devastating for Lebanon, the place greater than 3,700 individuals have been killed for the reason that begin of the hostilities in October 2023, and a million residents have been displaced in areas the place Hezbollah has sturdy presence.
The World Financial institution estimates $8.5bn (£6.8bn) in financial losses and injury. Restoration will take time, and no-one appears to know who can pay for it.
Below the deal, 1000’s of Lebanese troopers can be deployed to the south, after the withdrawal of Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters. How they are going to be deployed stays unclear.
The army has complained that they don’t have the assets – cash, manpower and gear – to fulfil their obligations.
However it isn’t solely about funding, which is able to in all probability come from a few of Lebanon’s worldwide allies. Will the Lebanese army confront Hezbollah if wanted?
That might put Lebanese in opposition to Lebanese, which is at all times a threat in a rustic the place sectarian divisions run deep.
Lebanese authorities appear to have accepted that issues should change, a diplomat instructed me. It seems there may be political will to take action.
Hezbollah, too, has been devastated. Lots of its leaders have been killed, together with long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah, whereas its infrastructure has been closely broken. The way it will seem like after the struggle is one other unknown.
The group has been severely weakened, some would say humiliated, but it surely has not been destroyed. In Lebanon, it’s greater than a militia: it’s a political get together with illustration in Parliament, and a social organisation, with important help amongst Shia Muslims.
Its opponents will in all probability see it as a chance to restrict its affect. Earlier than the battle, Hezbollah was typically described as a state inside a state in Lebanon.
And for months, individuals exterior Hezbollah’s help base mentioned the group had dragged the nation right into a struggle that was not in its pursuits.
This deal might carry the battle with Israel to an finish. However many in Lebanon worry a brand new inner battle might comply with.