**"We’re Not Safe Anymore": Lebanon Grapples with Escalating Violence Amid Intensified Conflict with Israel**
Lebanon is reeling from a week of violent attacks that have exacerbated the ongoing conflict with Israel, leaving the nation in a state of fear and uncertainty. The once-divided populace, previously ambivalent about Hezbollah's role, now finds itself united in its concerns for safety and security.
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, the air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt rubber as rescue workers tirelessly sifted through the debris of a building that had been reduced to rubble by four Israeli missiles. The attack occurred just hours earlier on a Friday afternoon in Dahieh, a neighborhood that has become a focal point of the violence.
As the rescue efforts continued, onlookers gathered in silence, anxiously awaiting any signs of life beneath the wreckage. The scene was chaotic yet somber, with broken glass stained with blood cleared away and the area cordoned off. Members of Hezbollah and the Lebanese civil defense coordinated the response, ensuring that emergency vehicles could navigate the destruction.
Among the crowd, men with freshly bandaged hands—injured by booby-trapped devices just days prior—moved about, while women wept in despair. The atmosphere was heavy with grief and anxiety, as the reality of the escalating conflict settled in. The sense of safety that many once took for granted has been shattered, leaving the people of Lebanon to confront an uncertain future.