BERLIN (Reuters) – Several thousand people in Berlin protested against Israel’s bombing campaign in Lebanon on Friday, joining angry protests across the Middle East this week.

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.