It was about 01:30 in the morning when a loud explosion tore through the Raouche neighbourhood in the heart of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
The Israeli strike on the four-star Ramada Plaza hotel marked the first time in this war that Israel's bombing campaign had struck the city centre - a bustling coastal area full of restaurants and hotels.
Inside, the Israeli military said, was a secret meeting of Iranian operatives.
The strike came without warning, and locals and displaced people staying in the area ran to their windows and balconies to see what had happened. Those on the streets nearby - still busy with Ramadan crowds - ducked for cover.
Lebanon has been hit with hundreds of Israeli strikes since war between Israel and the Iran-backed armed group and political movement Hezbollah resumed here a week ago. Many of the strikes have toppled entire buildings, and nearly 500 people have been killed, according to official figures.
