Lebanese express shock, then steely resolve following Israel's attacks

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Despite the state of panic and confusion that gripped Lebanon a day after hundreds of simultaneous blasts rocked the country, many are expressing defiance and resilience, saying they're undeterred by the latest security crisis gripping their homeland.

Laila, a housewife in Beirut's southern Al-Dahya, is used to keeping a close eye on the news as she works on chores at home. But this week's top headlines were not about border skirmishes between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel, or the latest round of assassinations by Israel. This time the news was about attacks like no other.

"This is scary. This is like nothing we've seen - or anything the world has seen," said the 40-year-old, who like others interviewed by TRT World asked to be identified by her first name for security reasons.

The mother of two added, "We are no longer safe anywhere. There is no point leaving our homes or moving further away from the fighting. We'll just have to accept this, and live with it."

Another wave of explosions rocked Lebanon today, sowing further uncertainty around the country.

'We should fight'

According to the latest Lebanese Health Ministry figures, at least 12 people have been killed, including two children, and at least 3,000 people wounded after hundreds of explosive-laden pager devices reportedly used by Hezbollah's members blew up across Lebanon on Tuesday, all at the same time. At least 14 more people were killed and hundreds more injured in Wednesday's attacks.

The explosions sent the country into a frenzy, with a worn-out healthcare sector grappling to deal with the sheer number of casualties, dividing them between 100 hospitals. Meanwhile, politicians and security entities continue to try to make sense of what happened.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hezbollah said that Israel would receive "its fair punishment" for the attack, which it described as the biggest security breach in its war with Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military, which has been engaged in cross-border fighting with Hezbollah since the start of Israel's war on Gaza that has killed over 41,000 people over the past year, has not commented on the attacks, though it confirmed to the United States that it was responsible.

To Mohammed, a shop owner in Al-Bekaa and father of three, "there is no other way but to push ahead with our fight." Speaking to TRT World by phone, Mohammed's voice was firm. "We've become immune to these kinds of scares. Yes, what happened is terrifying and unprecedented. But it also means that there is nothing for us as civilians to lose. As a country, we need not hold back or hesitate. As a country, we should fight."

Lebanon, which has been grappling with one of the world's worst economic crises since 2019, has also seen an increase in fighting on its southern border with Israel since the war on Gaza began in October.

Over the past year, more than 120,000 Lebanese people have been forced to relocate from their homes to escape Israeli shelling. Many moved more towards the north, and to a lesser extent have sought refuge abroad.

This internal displacement, along with the state of nationwide panic, had intensified in past months, particularly after Israel assassinated Hezbollah's senior member Fuad Shukr in August. The military strike on a building in Beirut also killed five civilians.

What's next?

Lebanon remains in a heightened state of uncertainty amid the latest round of blasts. Amal, a retail clothing shop owner, opened the doors of her store in southern Al-Dahya as normal on Wednesday morning, but saw less traffic than usual. With the news running in the background, she tried to keep herself distracted by keeping busy on her phone.

"You try not to see the blood on the screens, or focus too much on the gruesomeness of what happened. But there is no escape from asking the questions: What's next? Where will this take us?” wondered the mother of two.

Lebanon's Minister of Culture, Mohammad Wissam Al-Murtada, posted on X in response to yesterday's attacks that his country's "victory" over Israel is imminent, adding that there are no limits to Israel's evil, with the latest attacks proving its "hostility to humanity."

Footage of the attack shared on social media and broadcast on multiple news channels showed people in stores and on the street running normal daily errands when blasts erupted, impacting passersby as well as pager holders.

Mehdi, a university professor who was on campus when the attacks happened, said that he personally rescued an injured person whose hands were amputated when the pager device exploded while he was holding it. "It was horrifying," he said.

Across the country, blood donation campaigns drew massive turnouts, as thousands of donors rushed to fill in a huge shortage in hospitals where surgeries were carried out to save the wounded, many of whom sustained severe eye injuries.

"It's that bloodshed that hurts the most, the wounded and killed youth. Otherwise, we as Lebanese people have grown immune to the violence," Malak, a university student in Al-Nabatiya, told TRT World.

Unity push

Some have said that the attacks have united the Lebanese nation, who are divided along decades-old political and sectarian lines. If anything, observers say, the Lebanese people are undeterred.

"The Lebanese people are still in shock but the support they've shown Hezbollah has been clear," Wasim Bazzi, a political commentator said. "This has unified the Lebanese front in ways we have not seen happen in a while," he added.

Bazzi also said that the recent attacks are unlikely to spur additional waves of internal displacement, given their geographic spread. In other words, no place is safe.

As he spoke, dozens of other blasts, triggered by detonated mobile phones in various parts of the country, left over a hundred wounded according to initial reports.

"There is nothing new about this state of fear and dread. I know my family won't be going anywhere. We'll stay put and see what else they have for us," Malak said.

This piece was published in collaboration with Egab.