We managed to get past a couple of checkpoints. There was fresh bombing in Dahieh that day and security was high, more to ensure the safety of those who enter since the Israeli army was less than predictable. Even though most off Dahieh was empty, a ghost town, like all the other ghost towns I have witnessed in Lebanon where most of the population are believed to have fled, there are always families who have chosen to stay or have no means to leave and pay for rental elsewhere. Families with elderlies are even more likley to stay due to mobility or health issues.

Today, we drove through an apocalyptic site, covered in explosive dust, shrapnels, glass shards, remnants of the belongings of those who lived here amongst rubble and half demolished buildings that were neither standing nor have fallen. Every inch of Dahieh was a thick layer of grey, even the trees. Curtains were torn in an unnatural way, shredded more so. Windows and doors either blown off their hinges or completely destroyed, or if in tact, adorned with shards of shattered glass still partly attached or both. Other than the brave, odd coffee shop, every single shop and business are closed, products still left inside the stores, as though they've all evacuated in a hurry. In fact, we know they did evacuate in a hurry as Israeli evacuation warnings could hardly be trusted. A one-hour window could mean the bomb hits 2 seconds after the order has been given, claiming every life within.

Almost one million lives in upheaval. Those who owned their homes have had to flee, deserting everything everything they had. Those who had businesses in Dahieh are now unemployed and without an income. Children went to school, their lives are now at a standstill. Those who were less fortunate and who were caught in airstrikes have lost their lives or born the pain of losing loved ones. All the while, Israel continues to enact Dahiyeh doctrine - exacting maximum carnage on civlian lives, civilian homes and busin