Sky News presenter Yalda Hakim recently returned to Beirut to witness a city split between two extremes. Amidst a regional conflict that has displaced millions, she found herself navigating both the devastation of war and the persistent, glamorous rhythms of daily life.
From Pilates reformers to the sound of surveillance drones
In the upscale Gemmayzeh neighborhood,the atmosphere can shift from high-end wellness to wartime reality in a heartbeat. Yalda Hakim describes a scene where women in a pristine Pilates studio discuss magnesium supplements and dermatologist recommendations while the constant, mechanical buzz of an Israeli surveillance drone fills the air.
The juxtaposition of luxury and war defines modern Beirut life. As Hakim reports, the cnoversation in these studios often mirrors that of London or New York—ranging from matcha debates to birthday dinner plans—even as the sounds of conflict remain a permanent part of the city's background texture. For many, the drone's hum has become so constant that it eventually disappears into the background of ordinary existence.
A million displaced people and the cost of regional escaaltion
The glamorous side of the city exists alongside a staggering humanitarian crisis. Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran and subsequent strikes on February 28, the conflict in Lebanon has resulted in nearly 1,000 deaths and the displacement of more than one million people.
The scale of the suffering is immense, with families packing what little they can carry to flee toward the north. this military escalation has compounded an existing economic collapse that had already left many Lebanese famiiles struggling without reliable electricity or steady income long before the current fighting began. The sight of mattresses strapped to car roofs has become a common, heartbreaking image of the current crisis.
What happens when a skincare debate meets a family crisis in Tyre?
The thin line between normalcy and catastrophe is often crossed by a single phone notification.. Hakim recounts a moment during a Pilates class when a participant, Amal, received news about her sister in Tyre, causing the entire room to fall silent as the focus shifted instantly from beauty to survival.
While the report highlights this incredible capacity for resilience, several questions remain unanswered. It is unclear how the long-term psychological impact of living under constant drone surveillance affects these communities, or how the displaced populations currently living in tents along the seafront will find stability if the conflict persists. Furthermore, the report focuses heavily on the Gemmayzeh experience, leaving the reality of those living outside the cosmopolitan bubble largely unexamined.
The duality of Gemmayzeh’s 'Soho-style' streets and the seafront tents
Beirut functions as two cities existing in the same space. On one hand, Gemmayzeh offers a Mediterranean version of Soho, complete with independent galleries, design boutiques , and immaculate flat whites. On the other, bulldozers and rescue workers navigate mountains of concrete and twisted steel where homes once stood.
Ultimately, Hakim suggests that these two versions of the city are not contradictory,but rather two sides of the same coin. The decision to maintain routines—whether it is opening a café or attending a fitness class—is not a denial of the war, but a vital mechanism for survival in a city that has learned to carry both beauty and grief simultaneously.
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