Feature: Lebanese shoppers at Beirut supermarket overwhelmed by anxiety amid relentless Israeli airstrikes

BEIRUT, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — Inside a large supermarket in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, a long line of customers stood quietly at the checkout. Heads bowed, people waited in silence, with little exchange of words between them. The only sound that broke the heavy silence is the beeping of the cash registers.
A sense of unease fills the air in Beirut. Tensions have escalated dramatically since the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of Hezbollah, in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27, casting a heavy shadow over the city. The looming threat of war weighs on every corner of the capital.
Lana, a 40-year-old mother, pushed a cart loaded with bread, milk, and frozen vegetables. “Who knows how long the conflict will last,” she said, her voice filled with anxiety.
“I have to stock up on enough food for my family in case we can’t leave the house for days, or even weeks. Frozen vegetables can be preserved for a longer time,” she added, her brow furrowed with worry.
Ali, a young father, was also at the supermarket with his daughter. His cart was piled high with heavy bags of potatoes.
“I don’t know how much longer we can stay here. The airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut has already spread,” he said.
“Every night, my daughter wakes up terrified by the sound of explosions and cries loudly. I just hope the war ends soon so we can have a chance to breathe,” he added.
Following Nasrallah’s death, Israeli airstrikes have expanded from Beirut’s southern suburbs to the city center.
On Monday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building in Beirut’s al-Cola area, marking the first Israeli attack on central Beirut since the outbreak of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict last October. On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes in the Jnah area killed three people and injured 31 others. In the early hours of Thursday, another airstrike hit the al-Bachoura area, leaving at least six dead.
While the supermarket still sees customers lining up for supplies, most of the nearby restaurants have shut their doors. In recent days, Beirut’s streets have become eerily quiet.
Once, those restaurants and cafes were alive with laughter and conversation. Customers would sip hot coffee, casually chatting about their daily lives. But now, those days of bustling activity have faded into distant memory.
Hassan, 25, sits in front of a shuttered coffee shop where he used to be a regular. “I used to come here in the afternoons to have coffee and chat with my friends,” he said.
“The war has destroyed our lives. The latest escalation between Israel and Hezbollah makes the future seem even more uncertain,” His voice was heavy with despair. “I just wish we could go back to how things were.”
The airstrikes show no sign of abating, and the conflict is rapidly intensifying. Each explosion feels like a hammer blow, reverberating in the hearts of every Lebanese citizen. ■