The heavily shelled districts of southern Beirut resemble a ghost town. Most of the residents of Hizbollah’s heartland have fled the Israeli air strikes. Those that have stayed either lack the means to escape or remain as an act of defiance.

The Israeli offensive has not yet succeeded in stopping Hizbollah rocket attacks. There have been several more barrages fired into the country during the day wounding at least 19 people.

Campaigners for reform, who had packed the public gallery, broke into applause and sang the national anthem as MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour.