Beirut faces heavy bombardment; Israel launches major offensive in northern Gaza
People in Beirut ‘cannot breathe’ as a toxic smoke hangs over city
Reporting from Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon
Israeli bombardment of Dahiya, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, is trapping people inside their homes, as a choking smoke wafts through the city.
Tony Najm, 35, told NBC News that the stench kept him awake at night at his home in Hazmiye, a neighborhood overlooking Dahiya. He said the city was shrouded in a graying haze all day and night and the streets were polluted with waste.
“The smoke is continuous,” he said. “Garbage is all over the streets.”
Rita Rizallah, 42, added that the buildings in Dahiya were continuously on fire because firemen were unable to reach the area with the roads were blocked due to the bombing.
Professor Raif Reda, Head of Lebanese Medical Social Gathering, said the fumes could be poisonous because Israel had attacked the city using what he beleived to be bombs that released “toxic gases.”
Ellisar Kozah, 48, said residents were unable to breathe the air in her neighborhood of Sainte Therese, bordering Dahiya. But she explained that she had to keep her windows open despite the stench and fumes, in case Israel bombardment caused them to shatter.
“What are we supposed to do?” she said, “Where to go? Are we going to deal with this forever?”
