Raya Jalabi

Multiple countries have closed down their airspace, at least temporarily.

You've at least got Syria, Iraq, Jordan, multiple countries are suspending their airspace.

You've got various airlines who are suspending operations temporarily.

Everyone is sort of on tenterhooks waiting to see how this develops because, as you said, this is the most serious crisis to hit in recent weeks.

Oh, absolutely.

And I think this is top of Donald Trump's mind.

I mean, the prospect of a deal had calmed oil markets down.

It had reassured some of his domestic upset.

And this looks to be reinvigorating all his domestic critics.

I mean we've been talking on and on about a deal being very near, being very close between Iran and the US and all signs indicate that there has been a sort of negotiation going on.

The media seem to suggest that they are close to an agreement but neither side has been willing to sort of cross the threshold and

and sign the deal that's currently on the table.

So every flare-up like this risks to undermine any efforts.

And there are those who speculate that Israel's actions yesterday in bombing Beirut, when they knew it was a very clear Iranian red line, was to sort of play a spoiler role in these negotiations.

So it does seem like a deal that is further away today than it was a few days ago.

It was a very strange day because most of Lebanon woke up that morning quite hopeful that there was some kind of ceasefire in the making.

But everything seemed eerily quiet.

And then just after two o'clock, I was sitting at home and you hear this raft of missiles literally flying overhead and then massive explosions all across the city.

And we've grown quite used to this, unfortunately.

But what was so shocking is the intensity and the ferocity of those strikes.