‘Like someone pressed pause on life’: How Israeli strikes transformed Lebanon’s buzzing capital

None of this bodes well for local businesses.

Many in Gemmayze were already badly affected by the Beirut port explosion four years ago, which killed 200 people and destroyed more than 70,000 buildings. They'd only recently started getting back on their feet.

Despite the financial crisis, new places were springing up in the area - but many of them have closed now.

Maya Bekhazi Noun, an entrepreneur and board member of the restaurant and bar owners' syndicate, estimates that 85% of food and drink spots in downtown Beirut have shut down or limited their opening hours.

"Everything happened so fast and we couldn't do any statistics yet but I can tell you more around 85 percent of food and beverage places in downtown Beirut are closed or working for limited hours only."

"It is difficult to keep the places open for joy when there are many people are sleeping without enough food and supplies nearby."

Despite the tough situation in Beirut, you can still find bustling restaurants and bars around a 15 minute-drive north. But Maya says that too is temporary.

"Strikes may happen in other locations too.

There have been attacks on some places in the north.

There is no guarantee they will be safe either."

It's like someone pressed a button and life stopped in Beirut, she says.

"We are on hold.

We were aware of the war in the south - and somehow affected by it too - but many like me didn't expect the war to come this close."