BEIRUT: Colorful fireworks, sparkler-topped champagne bottles, and the occasional ballistic missile became regular features of nights out at Lebanon’s many rooftop bars and nightclubs last week, as Iran and Israel exchanged fire — providing revelers with a grim and surreal light show.
Social media has been flooded with videos of young people defiantly celebrating life as missiles arc across the night sky. This blend of dark humor and fatalistic resilience reflects a deeper yearning among Lebanese to break free from the endless cycles of conflict.
“The Lebanese love to celebrate as a way of compensating for all the crises they have endured,” Jean Beiruti, secretary-general of the Tourism Syndicates Union, told Arab News.
“Perhaps the clearest proof of this is the widely shared clips of wedding parties and nightclub gatherings even as missiles flew across Lebanon’s skies.”
This summer was meant to mark a renaissance for Lebanon — a glimmer of hope after years of economic collapse and political paralysis.
