Several cultural institutions in Beirut have shuttered or scaled back operations amid escalating regional hostilities earlier this week.

The ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran has entered a new phase after Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon, launched rockets toward Israel on March 1. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reported that at least 72 people have been killed, 437 injured, and more than 83,000 displaced. 

Against this backdrop, several cultural institutions in the Lebanese capital—including the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, the Sursock Museum, Dar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, and Beirut Art Center—have suspended public programs, according to announcements shared with the press and on their own social media channels. 

Beirut Art Center’s residency space, Room For Practice, said on its Instagram that it will remain open “to gather, rest, and create for all those whom it may serve,” offering a limited space for community use even as broader activities pause.

Educational institutions have also been affected, with Lebanon’s education minister announcing the closure of all public and private schools nationwide on March 2.

In a March 1 statement, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli attacks and warned against using Lebanese territory “as a platform for proxy wars.”

Yuqian Fan is an editorial assistant at ArtAsiaPacific.