The streets were dark and full of traffic. The people who were walking were carrying their bags and belongings, not knowing where they were going but they were sure that they would not stay.
This was the incident in Nuweiri, in the center of Beirut, shortly after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings, for the first time in these areas.
We were trying to visit the site of an Israeli air strike hours before, in the afternoon, which came without warning, flattening one building and killing at least seven people. But we couldn’t get there.
Crowds of men were walking, men on motorcycles stopped us, saying it was not safe.
A few minutes later, we heard several explosions, due to more attacks. And for many hours, that was how the night unfolded in Beirut. Lots of explosions. Some far away; others nearby.
The gunfire prompted other warnings, urging people to seek safety. All this, with the constant sound of an Israeli jet flying overhead.
The major escalation came as the country awaited Israel’s decision on a ceasefire agreement, the main hope to end the year-long conflict with Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed group.
During that waiting period, Israel unleashed its most powerful attack on Beirut of the war.
Within two minutes, just after the attack on Nuweiri, warplanes attacked 20 places in the southern areas of the city, known as Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based in the city.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the targets attacked were areas used by Hezbollah, and the wave of attacks was felt throughout the city.
Now, a ceasefire has been officially announced, but questions remain.
The war has been particularly severe in Lebanon, where more than 3,700 people have been killed since the war began in October 2023, and a million civilians have been displaced from areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
The World Bank estimates $8.5bn (£6.8bn) in economic losses and damages. Recovery will take time, and no one seems to know who will pay for it.
Under the agreement, thousands of Lebanese soldiers will be deployed in the south, after the withdrawal of Israeli and Hezbollah forces. How they will be distributed is not yet clear.
The military complains that it does not have the resources – money, manpower and resources – to fulfill its obligations.
But it is not only about the funding, which may come from other cooperatives in Lebanon. Will the Lebanese army confront Hezbollah if necessary?
That would pit Lebanon against Lebanon, which is always dangerous in a country where sectarian divisions run deep.
The Lebanese authorities seem to have accepted that things have to change, the international ambassador told me. There seems to be political will to do that.
Hezbollah, too, has been destroyed. Many of its leaders have been killed, including the old king Hassan Nasrallah, and its infrastructure has been severely damaged. What it will look like after the war is still unknown.
This group has been greatly weakened, some would say disgraced, but it is not finished. In Lebanon, it is more than a military force: it is a political party represented in the Parliament, and a social movement, with great support among Shia Muslims.
Its opponents will likely see it as an opportunity to reduce its influence. Before the conflict, Hezbollah was often described as a state within the state of Lebanon.
And for months, people outside Hezbollah’s base of support have said the group dragged the country into a war it didn’t intend.
This agreement may end the conflict with Israel. But many in Lebanon fear a new internal conflict could follow.
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