Reportage. 'The streets are empty because they [the Israelis] might have some targets in Beirut: an office, a car, who knows?'

written by Pasquale Porciello

Topic Middle East and North Africa

BEIRUT

March 1, 2024

“Beirut never sleeps” is what the Lebanese always say – or at least they used to until recently. It’s eight o’clock in the evening, in Mar Mikhail, the capital’s central district, and the bars and restaurants on both sides of the main street are empty. Hamra, the beating heart of the city, is deserted after six o’clock. And even at 2 p.m., when school ends and it’s virtually impossible not to get stuck in a traffic jam, traffic is much lighter than usual.

“I start work at three o’clock and you were the first call,” Rachad tells us, a young taxi driver who is still making car........

© Il Manifesto Global