The truce that lasted less than a breath
On Wednesday afternoon, the blue sky over Beirut was filled with black smoke. Hours after a ceasefire was announced between the United States, Israel and Iran, Israeli planes launched what its military called the largest coordinated attack of this war.
More than 100 Hezbollah targets were hit in just 10 minutes. The target: central Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Beka Valley. Densely populated areas, without prior notice.
The fleeting feeling of relief turned to panic. Traffic horns interrupted by explosions. People running towards the flames. Apartment buildings hit.
“These attacks are now in the heart of Beirut… Half of the refugees are in Beirut in this area,” Haneed Sayed, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs, told The Associated Press.
He had just driven through the attacked areas. What he saw were charred bodies in vehicles and on the ground, at one of the busiest intersections.
A dangerous turning point
The Lebanese Ministry of Health gives a chilling preliminary estimate: dozens of dead, hundreds of injured. Rescuers with forklifts removed smoldering rubble, combing ruins for survivors.
Israel had been clear: the deal with Iran does not cover its war with Hezbollah. But the scale and location of the attack mark a brutal escalation.
Minister Sayed called it a “very dangerous turning point.” And meanwhile, no attacks against Israel were reported from Beirut in the two hours that followed.
The Lebanese government repeats its offer: it is ready to negotiate an end to hostilities. An offer that the president had already made and to which Israel has not responded.
“There are calls and efforts that are being made right now,” Sayed said.
But on the streets of central Beirut, amid the smoke and rubble, the only tangible thing is the immediate consequences. And the question that hangs in the thick air: what comes next after the largest coordinated attack?
