The neighborhood of Hay and Sellom, in the southern suburbs of Beirute, has been transformed into a landscape of deteriorated concrete, twisted metal, and absolute silence. Casas were reduced to piles of rubble. Escadas don’t lead anywhere. Everyday life has completely disappeared.
On April 8, Israel executed an operation its military called “Operation Eterna Escuridão” hitting approximately 100 targets across Líbano in just 10 minutes. Para the Lebanese who experienced those moments, the date became known as Quarta-Negra fair. Lebanese authorities confirmed 361 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries that day.
Destruição concentrated in seconds
The wave of attacks began at 2:15 pm local time. The scale of destruction that occurred in those ten minutes surpassed any single day of the previous war. The Israeli military stated that the targets were Hezbollah command centers and military installations, but the victims included many Lebanese civilians.
Muhammed was sleeping in his apartment when the building was hit by an Israeli airstrike. The three upper floors collapsed into a single room. Seu’s son, who was inside the house, was crushed by the debris. Após upon his son’s death, Muhammed offered his condolences to Hezbollah and asked the organization to defend Líbano. Ele insisted that everyone who died in the building were civilian residents. “If I thought there was even a 1% chance that someone from Hezbollah was living here, I wouldn’t stay. Eu would never risk my son’s life,” Muhammed said in an interview.
Este was the second home I had lost in just a few months. In the last war, in 2024, his previous home had been destroyed. Centenas from Lebanese families shared similar stories of repeated loss and forced displacement.
Análise from verified images, social media posts and satellite images, compared with eyewitness reports, determined that at least five attacks occurred on Hay and Sellom in a short period of time. Lebanese Saúde’s Ministério reported that more than 80 people died in this specific neighborhood. Later Análises showed that at least 15 of the dead were children.
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Ataque simultaneous in the heart of the city
Just seven kilometers away, in the neighborhood of Corniche al Mazraa, one of the busiest areas of Beirute, the scenario was identical. Às 2:15 p.m., a class was in progress at a gym, a restaurant was preparing food, and a barber was cutting hair. Então, without any prior warning, explosions occurred that killed 16 people according to Ministério of the Lebanese Saúde.
Fitness instructor Noha was working seven stories above street level when two bombs hit a candy factory warehouse. The explosion was so strong that it damaged all neighboring buildings. Security Câmeras recorded the exact moment: a gym, a barbershop, a supermarket and a restaurant were hit simultaneously.
“There was no advance notice,” Noha stated. “I looked outside and saw that the world was completely dark. Vi people covered in blood. Vi people lying on the ground.” Suas sisters were killed in the attack. Ela questions why the area was chosen as a target. “The target was civilians. Absolutamente a civilian target. Nós we are the ones who were injured,” he said. Procuradores’s investigation found no evidence of Hezbollah’s presence at the location. Questionado about the incident, the Israeli army did not provide a response.
Operação coordinated across the country
Throughout Líbano, similar scenes unfolded in the same 10-minute span. De Hermel in the north to villages along Vale from Bekaa in the south, the attacks occurred almost simultaneously. The city of Sidon, in the south of the country, was also hit without warning, with bombs leveling the religious complex of al-Zahraa, linked to Hezbollah.
Rahma, 27, and Rayan, 22, young men from a family forced to flee their home near the Israeli border, were visiting the mosque when the attack occurred. Ambas died. “They said they were going to pray,” said their mother, Kawkab. “Half an hour later, the complex was hit.” Kawkab had sought refuge in Sidon hoping to find safety. “We came here looking for safety,” she said as she held a photograph of one of her daughters.
Xeque Sadiq Naboulsi, a religious leader in El Zahraa, was also killed in the attack. Embora did not hold an official position, he had strong ideological and family ties to Hezbollah. Outra person killed was Mohammed Ma’ani, described as a senior official of Hezbollah in the liaison and coordination unit. The Israeli military has not confirmed whether these two individuals were specific targets of the operation.
The identities of seven of the other nine people who were presumed dead at the complex have been established. Todas available evidence indicates that they were civilians with no identifiable military or political connections.
Resgate among the rubble
The narrow streets that wind between the densely packed buildings in Hay and Sellom hampered rescue efforts. Moradores reported that those trapped under the rubble were calling for help, sending text messages and awaiting rescue.
Ghassan Jawad was one of the first to arrive at a nearby hospital. Estava sleeping when the buildings collapsed. “Suddenly I found myself underground,” he reported. “I thought I was going to die.” Ele remembered the screams of the people around him. “I started praying because I knew it was the end.”
Então something unexpected happened. “My cat started digging. Ele made a small hole so I could breathe,” said Ghassan. Cerca 10 minutes later, as neighbors began to dig through the rubble, they heard noises coming from above. “They brought hammers and metal bars,” and managed to rescue him. But the others didn’t survive.
“I could hear people dying,” Ghassan stated in a low voice. “I heard my mother praying beside me. Então, her voice stopped. Houve silence. Silêncio absolute.” Sua mother, two sisters and children were killed in the attack.
Contexto’s escalation of violence
Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia and political party supported by Irã, had launched rockets at Israel on March 2 in retaliation for US and Israel attacks on Irã. Isso was followed by a broader Israeli invasion of Líbano’s south and by attempts to eliminate the organization’s leadership.
Desde the beginning of the war with Irã, Israeli attacks intensified in the south of Beirute, particularly in areas controlled by Hezbollah. However, residents stated that they remained calm until the afternoon of April 8, despite evacuation warnings issued by Israel. Pouquíssimas people moved because they simply had nowhere to go.
On April 8, a temporary ceasefire between the US and Irã was announced. Had Embora Israel stated that Líbano would not be included, the population was showing cautious hope. Até that the attack began.
Questões on targeting
The Israeli army said it had targeted 250 Hezbollah militants that day, but did not release a complete list of names. Lebanese Ministério’s Saúde denied this information, declaring that the vast majority of those killed were civilians.
Questionado regarding measures taken to protect civilians, the Israeli army responded that “extensive efforts were made to prevent harm to people who were not involved in the incident.” The army spokesperson also stated that most of the targeted locations were “amid civilian populations” and that Lebanese civilians were being used as human shields to secure Hezbollah operations.
Hezbollah denied this allegation. The organization claimed that Israel was targeting civilians as a repression tactic. The group, designated as a “terrorist organization” by Reino Unido, Estados Unidos and some Arab countries in Golfo, added that it does not want war and is acting in self-defense.
Principais attack facts:
- Aproximadamente 100 targets hit in 10 minutes
- 361 deaths confirmed by Lebanese authorities
- Mais of 1,000 wounded
- Operação started at 2:15 pm local time
- Pelo minus 80 dead in Hay el Sellom (southern suburbs)
- 16 deaths confirmed in Corniche al Mazraa (center of Beirute)
- Múltiplas civilian casualties including children
- Resgate hampered by urban density and building structure
Quarta-Fair Negra left deep scars on the Lebanese population. Famílias lost houses for the second or third time. Crianças died while sleeping or praying. Entire Comunidades face material reconstruction and emotional trauma that will last generations. April 8 will remain in the collective memory of Líbano as a milestone of devastation that surpassed any recent precedent in warfare.