Cafe Beside a Bombed Building

A building that once housed homes near Beirut’s center has turned into a cafe. Israel warned residents early Wednesday to leave before dropping an airstrike on the spot. Ahmad Aalwan and his family live above the cafe; they watched the attack from a safer distance. The cafe, called Zahyre, serves coffee and shisha around the clock. At about 4 a. m. , an alarm sounded, and many people left before they could finish breakfast. The attack came while the city was preparing for Ramadan fasting. Israel’s focus has moved from the Dahiya area, a known Hezbollah hub, to central neighborhoods like Bechoura. The strike on the cafe shows that places once thought safe are now targets.

Inside the rubble, a large poster bears the picture of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s long‑time leader. He was killed in a 2024 Israeli strike. The poster also shows General Rodolphe Haykal, the commander of the Lebanese army. Haykal is tasked with limiting Hezbollah’s power but acts cautiously to avoid civil war. The black flag on the poster carries a slogan about Imam Hussein, a symbol of Shiite sacrifice: “Hussein, the victory of blood over the sword. ” The Lebanese health ministry reports at least 10 deaths and 27 injuries from the overnight attacks in Beirut. In the morning, a bulldozer began clearing debris from Bechoura.

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