It’s nearly four weeks since Israel detonated explosions in the pagers belonging to members of Hizbullah, the Iran backed Lebanese-based militia. Since then the conflict in the Middle East has escalated. Israel has been striking inside Lebanon with missiles and has now sent ground troops into the country and Hizbullah has been striking back at targets in Israel.

The death toll is mounting. A key day was September 23rd when 550 people were killed in Lebanon by Israeli air strikes.

Since then Beirut has been bombed: last Thursday two Israeli missile attacks hit the centre of the densely populated city, killing 22 people and injuring over 170.

Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden lives in Beirut, 1km from where the bombs fell and she reports, that there was no warning from the Israel Defense Forces.

She tells In the News what life is like in the city now, describes the escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah and why Lebanese people who see what Gaza has endured in the past year, fear the same could happen to them.

International journalists have been prohibited by Israel from documenting events in Gaza which is why Hayden says it is important that journalists like herself report from on the ground in Lebanon.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon and Suzanne Brennan.

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