Large parts of the Lebanese capital are suffering from severe power shortages following the Israeli air strikes which destroyed a major power station on the southern edge of the city.
Electricity rationing is providing some areas with between six and eight hours of power every 24 hours. Less fortunate neighbourhoods, such as the impoverished and predominantly Shia southern suburbs, receive only a meagre four hours' supply, which comes and goes erratically.
This is not a new experience for the Lebanese, and many generators are still in place from the last Israeli attack on their power stations in June last year.
"Without doubt, our people have become used to doing without electricity for a long time, and they have become used to making alternatives in a difficult situation," said Mr Abu Hassan, a Hizbullah official. "We believe that by carrying out such an attack Israel aims at making the Lebanese people turn against the resistance."
An array of coloured electricity cables has appeared across narrow streets. Shop-owners who can afford to subscribe to privately owned generators, paying a monthly sum for the minimum amount to run their businesses. A small shop-owner would expect to pay about $80 a month.
The streets of Raml Ali, near Beirut International Airport, were pitch-black last night, and shadowy figures picked their way cautiously along pot-holed streets. Up three flights of unlit stairs, the home of the Munzir family was dimly lit by a solitary light bulb connected to a car battery.
Mr Abu Ali, the family patriarch, explained that even before the attacks, this area was particularly badly supplied with electricity due to overloading of the system. "Now there's nothing at all," he shrugged. He described how his family of 10 uses gas to boil water for washing, uses a car battery to provide dim light, or makes do with candles.
Other members of the family complained about the constant roar of generators, as well as the unpleasant smell of fumes.
"We used to say God is ruling our lives. It seems now that Israel is ruling our lives," he said, adding that he is proud of the Hizbullah resistance movement and does not hold it responsible for their suffering. "Israel is occupying our land, and without the resistance Israel would never think of withdrawing," he said.
Less enthusiasm was expressed for the resistance in another part of Beirut. "We suffer for what Hizbullah does," said Ms Samira Rishmani, who owns a small food shop in a neighbourhood of West Beirut. She cannot afford to pay a subscription for a generator.