Today in Beirut…

When I was leaving my early morning Chinese class today in Beirut, my phone was buzzing with new messages. “Explosion heard in Dahiyeh,” they read. I wasn’t able to write back because my phone was out of credit. When I brought my phone to the store, the manager wasn’t able to update my service–since the cellular network was too slow. “I’m sorry, but your phone is not working because of the explosion,” he said, telling me to come back tomorrow. On the television next to us, a news crew was showing smoking debris from the blast of the bombs.

Outside of the store, a man took out his cell phone to show me photos from the explosion–including one with the mangled flesh of a suicide bomber–lying on the street like a raw piece of meat. A few minutes later, the Abdallah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility on Twitter for the attack. In a cafe where I’m now sitting to catch up on the news, many people around me are asking–is this just business as usual, or is Beirut really on the brink?