These days, Beirut is characterized by a state of panic, with the Lebanese living in fear of random explosions and car bombs that kill innocent people. Following three explosions in a period of about 50 days — killing approximately 70 civilians and injuring more than 600 — the Lebanese have become prisoners of fear and the entire country a hotbed of all kinds of rumors and reactions. In particular, the country is haunted by one question: Where will the next explosion occur?

The recent car bombs in safe, civilian neighborhoods started on the morning of July 9, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area with a significant Shiite population. A car bomb exploded in a parking lot of a local store. Nearly 50 civilians were injured in the blast, yet no fatalities were recorded.

Five weeks later, on Aug. 15, a second explosion rocked the southern suburbs. This was another car bomb, but much larger than the previous one. This blast caused the death of 25 civilians and injured about 100. On Aug. 23, the third in this series of bombings took place. Yet, this time, two factors changed. The first was that the target shifted from a Shiite area to a Sunni region — Tripoli, the second-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut. The second was the size of the explosives which were even larger — and more lethal — than those previously used, causing 45 deaths and nearly 500 injuries.

The repercussions of this series of explosions weighed heavily on the Lebanese situation.