I first spoke to Sally Abou AlJoud, a Beirut-based reporter for a local English-language publication, after twin attacks on booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies killed 37 people, including children, and injured thousands more last week. She told me about the scenes of devastation and panic that unfolded afterward, as she witnessed herself after she rushed to the hospitals fielding the wounded after the strikes.

Within a day, that conversation already felt outdated. Everything has changed. Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 600 people, including hundreds of civilians, according to Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees. Israel promised “full force” as it continued with new strikes and has now hinted at a potential ground invasion.

AlJoud now begins each day by equipping herself in body armor and a helmet marked PRESS and venturing out into areas she was familiar with before they were pulverized to debris by the strikes. We spoke about how her and others’ lives in Lebanon have changed in this past week, what she’s learned from speaking directly to the displaced people who narrowly evaded being killed in the strikes, and whether she thinks a wider war is now inevitable. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Aymann Ismail: You sound really tired.

Sally Abou AlJoud: Yeah. I’m pretty wiped out.

What have the last 72 hours have been like?

Monday was the craziest, most violent, and tense day we’ve seen, with over 500 people killed in just one day. It’s been crazy ever since. Israel has intensified its airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon. Since then, people have been fleeing dangerous areas, and many are now living on the streets. Not everyone has found shelter. Just today, we’ve heard of at least two strikes almost 100 kilometers from the border, meaning they’re striking deeper into the country. We don’t feel safe anywhere anymore. In Beirut, it used to be that staying away from Hezbollah strongholds made us safe, but now we don’t feel safe anywhere. We don’t know where the strikes will hit next—they’re bombing everywhere. We’re really scared right now. We don’t know what’s going to happen.

I’m hearing that Israel is planning a ground invasion. They’re not backing down, and we’re watching a humanitarian crisis unfold. An actual war. We keep asking, “When is a wider war going to happen? Is it going to happen?” I think we’re seeing it unfold before our eyes right now.

That sounds terrifying.

I woke up today to news that they hit very close to where my family lives. I visited the site today and spoke to the owner of the warehouse that was targeted. He said it was just a garage for cars. I saw the crater where the airstrike hit.

Have you been out to your........

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