### Heartbreak in Dahieh: Gynaecologist’s Clinic Destroyed in IDF Air Strikes

In the Beirut suburb of Dahieh, the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has shattered lives and dreams. Among the deeply affected is Dr. Taghrid Diab, a 57-year-old gynaecologist who has devoted 30 years to providing care for women in the community. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recently launched one of the most intense bombardments of Beirut's southern neighbourhoods, targeting areas allegedly housing Hezbollah’s weapon storage facilities.

On Saturday night, Colonel Avichae Adraee, IDF's Arabic-speaking spokesman, posted an ominous warning on social media. The post, showing an aerial image with a targeted building highlighted in red, was meant to signal an evacuation ahead of an airstrike. Dr. Diab doesn't follow Col Adraee, but her daughter does. Recognizing the building next to her mother's clinic in the photo, she urgently forwarded the warning to Dr. Diab. Realizing her clinic was in the strike zone, Dr. Diab broke down in tears, fearing the imminent destruction of her practice.

Her fears were soon realized when, overnight, the airstrike reduced the clinic and the adjacent building to rubble. Fortunately, Dr. Diab had suspended services a few days earlier due to the rising tension. The strike was part of a larger offensive that resulted in at least 23 deaths and 93 injuries, as reported by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Hezbollah, which dominates Dahieh, has been the primary target in this recent escalation. This area witnessed the death of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, from a bunker-busting missile strike that also caused extensive casualties and property damage. A similar strike reportedly killed his presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine, although this has not been confirmed.

By Sunday morning, the site of Dr. Diab’s clinic had become a smoking crater, filled with twisted metal. The destruction extended beyond medical facilities; Shakeeb Saleh’s lighting shop, located just a floor below the clinic, was also reduced to ashes. The 73-year-old shopkeeper lamented the loss, recalling how he had previously rebuilt his business after it was bombed in the Israeli invasion of 1982.

The bombardment has also strained local medical infrastructure. Al Rassoul Al-Azam hospital, one of the few operational emergency facilities in Dahieh, was inundated with severely wounded patients from the airstrikes. The hospital staff, working under severe limitations, have been treating critical injuries caused by the attacks. The hospital itself endured the tremors of nearby airstrikes.

Despite the devastation, Dr. Diab remains committed to her community. She had envisioned her daughters, all medical school graduates, joining her practice. One daughter had recently started working alongside her before the clinic was demolished. Though the dream is now postponed, Dr. Diab is resolute. "I will go back to Dahieh and work with my daughters," she affirms, determined to rebuild and continue her mission.