Under Siege XVII - guest writer (part 2)

Hello all it's Dom here. Thought I would make a second contribution although Fi is doing such a fantastic job at recording what is going on there doesn't seem a lot to add. It has been a weird time - both of us having worked so intensely to evacuate all the Brits but we are now in a kind of lull where it is very hard to know what will happen next. Everyone is very up and down and I have to say today is more of a down day for me at least.
Spent much of the morning driving around Beirut trying to find a meeting which I was told was in one place but turned out to be in a hilltop residence about 30 mins north of Beirut. By the time I got there the meeting was wrapping up. That really annoyed me! Then I thought I would get some petrol on the way back but all the stations are now starting to run dry or at least ration. I felt very bad later on when due to a special arrangement we have with one of the petrol stations we got to barge in on a queue and fill up while people shouted and honked at us. Beirut is definitely not a pleasant place to be living while all this is going on.
But tonight I had a work drink/dinner out which was really nice. Went for an Italian (getting a bit sick of pizza to be honest) and a beer. The bottling plant was hit by the Israelis last week (obviously a big military target as people can throw the bottles over the border!) so the stocks of bottled al-Mazaa beer will start to run dry at some point. No worries at the moment as all the tourists have gone. It is sad to see the bars and cafes half-full at best, but then many have only opened up in the last week or so and it is encouraging to see people tentatively venturing out. I hear that Paddy's Bar reopened last night - a reliable source!
We are both getting a bit sick of, yet compulsively addicted to the news. This whole moral outrage over the Qana massacre seems to me a bit sad. 750 people die, almost all civilians (as well as probably around 200 Hizbullahis which of course they won't admit to). Also sadly 50 odd over in Israel, about two-thirds military. But why only cause a fuss when 65 people die in one go? It's almost as though it is OK to kill a lot of people in small numbers. I guess that's modern politics. Qana was a great place to visit - they had really worked hard on preserving the Christian shrine and it's one of those religious sites with a real frisson as it is so close to the life of Christ and clearly dates from that era. Let's hope that the site is preserved, and that the town doesn't suffer any more as the people there were more than friendly to us.
Thanks for all the supportive messages they mean a lot. We were thinking about an English pub lunch yesterday - with a pint of real ale - but settled in the end for a very nice bottle of Lebanese Rose. We are really very spoiled here in Beirut..

Under Siege XVI: Hope at Last?

Dom and I have been to Qana twice. We went with Jo and James to see the site of Christ's 'water into wine' miracle and saw carvings in the rock that were around 2000 years old, and are attributed to the first disciples. We have also been with Vicks and Judith to the site of the 1996 massacre where 120 people, mainly women and children, who were sheltering in the UN were bombed by the Israelis. Last night Qana was again in the news for reasons of war, not peace. At the time of writing around 60 civilians, about half of them children, were killed when the Israelis bombed the building they were sheltering in.

I went to the demonstration held in central Beirut today that was called to protest about this atrocity, and against the lack of international support Lebanon has received so far. The demonstration was largely peaceful - there was a period of about 15 minutes of violence when young men attacked the UN building and suceeded in breaking in for a short time - but the vast majority of the crowd were certainly peaceful and even applauded the military when they marched in to impose order on the demo. So don't believe everything the media tells you about it. Even when I was quite close to the centre of the demonstration I didn't feel under threat and when it looked like getting out of hand I leapt (well, was helped - I was wearing a skirt) over a bollard and was back in the safe zone.

There has been a breakthrough of sorts now in that Condaleeza Rice has now called for a cessation of violence. Apparently, in these mealy mouthed times, heavy with nuances of meaning, this is slightly different from an immediate ceasefire. Blair is also now saying that this violence cannot continue. Hopefully this will inject a little more urgency into proceedings but it really isn't good enough. I am also confused as to why there cannot be a ceasefire at the same time as working out the 'longer term solution' that Blair and Bush are keen to see put into place. I too am obviously keen for a longer term solution, but why not plan the solution while having a ceasefire? Are these people unable to multi task??? Is it somehow easier to continue to fight while negotiating peace deals?

One piece of news I did like today however is that the Lebanese PM told Condaleeza Rice that she wasn't welcome back in Lebanon until there was a cessation of hostilites. Good on Siniora! Shortly afterwards Rice made her statement. And then released a statement saying that she had decided not to visit Lebanon...

In Walshe-James news I am pleased to announce that Series one and two of Sex and the City have arrived, been unwrapped and are starting to be enjoyed. Dom does not like SATC and so is rekindling his favourite series, Spooks. Sydney is looking even more bored about the hatching than we are. We've had a relaxing weekend and are back to work tomorrow. Me to ascertain how many Brits are left in the country, and Dom to start planning the reconstruction of the country.

Under Siege XV: Beirut Calling

We had a lovely time up in the hills - reading books and generally chilling out. I feel a lot more relaxed and Dom certainly looks like he's benefited from the rest. He says that he has worked harder here than he did in Iraq, which certainly says something about the conditions we have all be working in over the last couple of weeks. One thing I noticed about our stay in the hills was that you could hear the Israeli planes a lot more clearly. I heard them while I was half asleep in the night and in my stupor-like state thought that the airport was open again for business. Ahem. No such luck. The planes, although not bombing Beirut this time, have been circling around the area, no doubt frightening a lot of people on the ground.

One thing I have noticed, and I am sure I am not the only one, is how many sounds remind you of the bombs that have been hitting the suburbs. Any sort of low, dull thud brings back the sound of the shelling. If I am slightly twitchy about the noise some doors make (the portaloos at the evacuation centre certainly reminded me of it), goodness knows how others who were closer to the bombs are finding it. Even the sound of Timpani on a CD I was listening to today made me wonder if the bombs were falling again. It was only the fact that it all happened in time with the music that finally convinced me it was an overactive imagination that was at fault.

In other news, we have internet at home again - hurrah! Dom managed to find a card. Access is still sporadic but I am looking forward to reading my blog in full and ensuring that I do not repeat myself too often. I went out for a bite to eat with a friend of mine from Time Out. She's currently freelancing and it was good to find out what is happening on the ground as she is pitching some articles about the humanitarian effort in Lebanon at the moment. I watched about 30 seconds of Bush on a news bulletin tonight and had to turn over when it became apparent that he couldn't remember the countries he was supposed to be focused on, and talked about 'that area, the Middle East' instead.

I'm going to try to reply to some emails over the next couple of days. Keep the comments coming. Sydney is still sitting there I'm afraid. Is it possible to induce a hatching? Should we be feeding her curry?

Under Siege XIV: Hillbound

Dom is finally getting a day off tomorrow and we are heading for the Hills. There's a resort still open in Broumanna, north of Beirut, so we are going to read books, lie by the pool and chill out for 24 hours. It'll be good to get out of the city - it's been a long two weeks and diplomacy is still moving very slowly. Some UN observers in the south were killed last night by an Israeli attack - this cannot go on - are we all to be targets?

The shelling of the southern suburbs is also continuing - I am not sure that there is anything left to hit any more. If the aim is to take out the leader of Hizbollah, Nasrallah, it isn't working - no one is left in the suburbs. My friends have all moved to places of safety - but are all staying in overcrowded houses with family and friends. It's tiring them out too.

My work here is now focused on clearing the backlog of paper that the evacuation left behind. In fact, I'd better get on with it! Sydney is now looking decidedly bored and is clearly fed up with this nesting lark.

Under Siege XIII: Drop the Dead Internet Connection

I wrote on Sunday of food and milk shortages. I can now add another to my list: Internet pre-pay cards. This is truly a media age and one in which the search for a pre-pay monthly internet card has reached almost the same level of the search for carrots in Communist Russia. I am tempted to go join a queue - any queue - in the hope that I will be able to get a highly coveted internet card.

So, as you may gather from this post, and the fact that I was unable to add anyone's comments to the blog yesterday, we have no internet. I have walked the whole of Achrafieh, called people and used 'wasta' (the Lebanese term for knowing the right people and having the right influence to get things done). To no avail. My walk was hot and fruitless, my calls were unanswered and my wasta wilted. I am now in an internet cafe desperately trying to catch up on emails (still no replies to anyone - really sorry) and typing up yesterday's entry now.

We have a colleague of Dom's staying with us at the moment. Her family are from Saida (Sidon) and although they have now moved to safety she has only just been able to get to Beirut. She's had a pretty tough time as some bombs came very close to her house, and much of the outskirts of Saida has been hit. Her family are all OK though, and that is the main thing. Hopefully she'll be able to get some rest with us.

I'll finish this off quickly but yesterday for me was relatively normal as I had another glorious day off. I went to the gym, walked around the ABC shopping centre which is open during the day, albeit very quiet, went on the fruitless internet card search and fell asleep on the sofa for two hours. I then scraped the car on a bollard and left a tissue in the washing machine so it is all over my clothes. Clearly not yet operating on all cylinders...

Sydney is still fine and I estimate the gestation will be over soon - I hope so!!!

Under Siege XII: A Life Less Ordinary

Oh bliss - I had a day off today. I have worked solidly either at Time Out Beirut or on the emergency response since July 10th. Sadly though, poor Dom had to work this morning (although I believe we will be getting a day off later on in the week) and we were both fielding calls about Danish ferries (don't ask!) well into the afternoon.

Apparently there were quite a few loud explosions in the south of the city last night, but we were both so shattered that we didn't hear them at all. We did hear the ones this afternoon - the Israelis seem to have started using bunker busters over the last few days. These consist of a bomb that punches a hole through the ground (the first noise), and then explodes when it gets to a specific depth (the second noise). They are phenomenally loud. They are so loud that they cause the windows to our balcony to flex slightly when the sound reaches us.

We tried really hard to get some normality back today. We went to the supermarket - there is no milk to be found at all on the shelves, and some items (bizarrely Special K bars) have sold out in their entirety. Fish is obviously also a non starter and there is less fruit and veg on sale. Nevertheless we stocked up on various food stuffs (pasta, rice, chocolate and rose wine - Ksara Sunset for those who have tried it; it received 5/6 stars in the Time Out Beirut review!) and then wended our merry way to the recycling station. Strangely though, and despite the fact that our Sukleen refuse collections have been happening as regularly as clockwork, someone has removed the recycling bins. Now I admit that trying to do your recycling in the middle of an international crisis may strike some as resolutely middle class, but it is a bit strange that the only bins that have been removed are these ones.

Beirut is really quiet tonight. We were toying with the idea of going out for a meal, but our friends - those that are left, and there a only a few now - are all having a quiet one and so are we. We've watched the second episode of 'House of Cards', that rather fantastic series from the 1990s, and I must admit I get a little nostalgic when I see that gothic masterpiece looming up at the end of Westminster Bridge. However, I agreed to two years here, and two years it shall be as long as I have a say in the matter.

Finally, I will shortly be announcing the commencement of the 'name Sydney's chick' competition. The chick is still yet to make its move. If anyone can let me know the normal gestation period for this egg I would be grateful. Sydney is still fine and hard of hearing; she seems very happy in our company and she sends her best as do we. Keep up the comments - yahoo is really playing up today and I really enjoy reading them.

Under Siege XI: The Last Evacuation

Khallas. It is all finished. The last boat left at 7pm tonight and Dom and I are left with a pregnant bird (not sure if you can call a bird sitting on an egg pregnant, but I will anyway), fewer friends, and a desire to try and acquire some sort of normality. So we went out for beers after work, a pizza and a couple of cocktails with friends. It is now half past eleven at night and we are knackered - so not too different from normal now!!

The last evacuation went well. I'll miss the military and their work - they've taken off so much of the pressure and their lack of emotional involvement has been really useful. In a situation where you are evacuating so many people, you cannot let individual stories affect you. Yesterday we evacuated a woman who had just buried her husband, and a family who had lost their Father in the fighting. You cannot even begin to understand how these people are feeling.

So now we are physically tired and emotionally exhausted. The feeling of achivement however is still there - we did evacuate lots of people and I feel personally quite pleased that I managed to help many get out - especially those who I helped individually. It certainly has helped me deal with the reality of what is happening here. Over the next few days I plan to rest and then start volunteering to help the refugees who are flooding into this city. I've already made a few contacts so we shall see how it goes. Not entirely sure what I will do - whatever I can seems to be the best place to start.

Sydney update: still fine, still sitting, still waiting. This nesting lark is just a waiting game!!!

Under Siege X: Sleepless in Situ

Internet access is becoming increasingly sporadic, so I am going to try to keep this post brief-ish. Didn’t get the best night’s sleep, I had stomach ache and, despite all my best efforts not to, I kept listening out for bombs. After a while I gave up on sleep and went and watched ‘Sister Act’ starring Whoppi Goldberg. Thankfully, the film was sufficiently soporific, and I was soon fast asleep.

Today was not quite as busy although I was given the run around at work by a group of Germans who got lost, got found, went off, got lost, got to the port and got on the ferry without telling me – not really maintaining the reputation for organization they normally have but these are indeed trying times. The last boat goes tomorrow and I think it will be much more manic then. Many people are still in two minds about whether to go. My Editor, Ramsay, is staying and I think my friend Lucy is, but I saw another friend from Time Out Beirut off today. By the way, if someone could save the articles from the London Time Out about Beirut and Tel Aviv, I’d be grateful; it’d be interesting to see the two perspectives.

Dom and I will not be on the last boat out – we will be staying for a few more days at least. I'm particularly pleased about this as I have just heard that my Amazon order is on its way. This means that once it has miraculously found its way through the Israeli blockades, I will be able to watch series 1 & 2 of 'Sex and the City'!

I'm off out tonight to try and get some normality back and am meeting Lucy for a bite to eat. Then it's all hands to the pump (or forum in this case) as the remaining Brits who want to leave, get out.

Bird Update: It is now clear, I think, that Sydney is a dove of some sort. She is not yet, however, a mother. She is looking more broody today, in my opinion, so maybe the hatching will be soon...

Under Siege IX: Sleepers

Sorry, too shattered to post today. Suffice it to say that more have left, including our best friends here, and that it was the first time I cried. Keep the emails coming - we're really touched that so many of you are thinking of us, and that you are reading the blog. Keep Lebanon in your thoughts - they're really grateful for your support.

Sydney is also fine and sends her best. No chick yet...

Under Siege VIII: The Endless Steps

The closest bomb to hit came today. I was safely in the Beirut Forum, evacuating citizens - Dom was at work, but it hit a lorry fairly near our house. There were also a few shots that were aimed near the port, just after the boats had left. They sounded close.

The death toll in Lebanon now stands at 300 - mainly civillians. The death toll in Israel is 29 - with 14 soldiers. I have never condoned what Hizbullah did, and am totally opposed to the civillian deaths in Haifa and other towns, but in answer to an earlier anonymous post, I feel very strongly that the response by Israel over the last week, to the initial caputuring of their soldiers, has been completely and utterly disproportionate. The attacks by Israel have been calculated not only to destroy Hizbullah, but also to inflict as much damage on a country's infrastructure as possible. On a daily basis, roads, airports and road bridges have been bombed. There have also been attacks on the Lebanese army's engineering depot (so the army can't even build bridges to get to the south) and a milk factory in the Bekaa so there are no commercially available supplies of milk now (a German investment incidentally, the attacks on the port hit British commercial interests). It is using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. The Lebanese people, as the Israelis know, are more complex than they are portrayed at present. The coalition of power that is trying to get Lebanon back on its feet cannot simply be run on religious lines. It is not as simple as kicking Hizbollah out of the government and then thinking all this will go away. It won't. Where is the dialogue? Where are the offers to negotiate? When will the international community condemn what is happening, or offer to broker a peace deal between both parties? Where else in the world is another country allowed to inflict such damage on another country in this manner?

In other news, the evacuation, although stressful, resulted in around 1000 people heading off on the Navy boats. I said goodbye to my boss, so heavens knows what this means for the normal job, and spent most of the day running around in the heat. I now smell and am probably a target for a heat seeking missile. My friend Fida was supposed to head off today and in fact was filmed having a cheeky snog with her boyfriend Jack on Aussie TV. However, their evacuation was not as smooth as it could have been, and she is still in Beirut. My other British Council friends head off tomorrow and that is making it all seem a lot more real. We've relied on each other a lot over the past few days and as Sydney is deaf, she will not prove to be the most effective listener.

Still, more evacuations will keep me busy tomorrow - I am enjoying it although it can be stressful. You really feel that you are helping and it's nice to chat to a whole load of people about what brings them here and if they want to return - most do, of course.

Quick Sydney update - she is fine and is getting more and more used to us. If the egg hatches, we will have to think of a name for the chick - suggestions gratefully received.

Under Siege VII: The Great Escape

It's been a really long day. We were woken up by bombs between midnight and 2am by really loud, window shaking explosions. Then, I think there was another at 6am, but as I've noted before, you really do kind of get used to it. Today has been absolutely manic. We had the 'go go go' to start getting people out on the ship late last night and we continued contacting people today. I can't believe that we managed to achieve the evacuation of 170 people in a few hours! There were hiccups, obviously, but it was really nice to see that you could actually help people physically, rather than just try to reassure them over the phone. I must admit that my help involved the creation of spreadsheets (ever the techy!) and general running around, but it was a very rewarding feeling.

They'll be more tomorrow, and for the rest of the week. As far as I know, I will not be on any of these ships. This of course depends on what happens, and can change at any time. I am not leaving without Dom so we will have to see what decisions are made higher up. I feel a bit out of the loop in terms of what is going on internationally, although it appears that still no one is putting any pressure on Israel to stop. Have just watched a clip of Bush on the BBC as I try to wind down and someone has clearly told him how to pronounce Hizbullah as he kept saying it very loudly and often. Can someone now train him to say 'Israel should stop bombing' and hopefully we'll get somewhere.

It's been really quiet today - I believe the Israelis are being quieter as the evacuees need safe passage, but I expect it will get loud again tonight. Update on Sydney: she appears well and still hard of hearing, she has shifted position in the nest which may (or may not) be the equivalent of babies shifting position before the mother goes into labour... watch this space!!!

A guest writer

Hello everyone. Dom here. I thought it was about time I contributed something, although I too can't identify the bird! But I know a man who can so hopefully we will be able to let you know...
So Beirut then. Paris of the Middle East and all that. Well maybe it's not at the moment and it will take a bit of time to recover. Although I was just out on our local square getting the pizzas and beer in and it seemed to be fairly full of people eating out in the cafes - although the chat is maybe a bit different from normal. And we hear that up the coast north the social scene continues as normal, Jounieh's nightclubs are buzzing 10 miles away.

Briefly on politics. Lebanon has been a very impressive place the last few days, with real unity developing against Israel. Of course people are angry at Hizbullah for their adventurism, but any Israeli attempt to get the Lebanese to oust Hizbullah went wrong when they started attacking the infrastructure. The Lebanese army would love to implement Security Council resolution 1557 to disarm all militias, but it's difficult when that militia is stronger than the army itself. And it is creating a humanitarian disaster which is only starting to become apparent with the refugee influx into Beirut. Is all this helping a fragile democratic government maintain control over its own country? Do they want an anarchic failed state on their northern border? Who knows what they think they are achieving?

Anyway. Interesting the blog was quiet for so many months. We were really manic with going out and working hard. I was away a a bit, we had loads of visitors who had a great time. Visited all the great sights of Lebanon and Syria.Time Out was really changing the way people looked at Beirut, sometimes controversially. It seems weird that last Sunday - 8 days ago - we drove out to the Chouf, had a walk in the Cedar Forest, went off road to a freezing (yes honestly) ridge to look at the amazing views, and had dinner at sunset in a lovely little town called Deir al-Qamar. Only 40 minutes outside the city - it would probably take 4 hours now with the destruction of roads. Let's hope we get the chance to try again.

But no apologies for coming here and bringing Fi. We have both had the time of our lives - a real adventure. I don't know why I keep going to dangerous places? Basra was easy compared to this. I suppose I find the Middle East fascinating with an undiscovered cultural and historical legacy which we were at least able to show some people and change some perceptions. Small victories in a shallow and selfish world - you only need to sniff the ignorance in the media. Lebanon has its faults but it is a real jewel of this part of the Med - lets hope it can be preserved.

Fi says I must be getting verbose so I must stop - a few hours sleep hopefully lie ahead.
Love to all

Pics

Under Siege VI: Life in the Loud Lane

Fell into bed around midnight last night and slept incredibly soundly. In fact, if the Israelis hadn't bombed the port at around 6.10am I doubt I would have made it into the Embassy in time. How considerate. I am clearly no longer to be woken up by my phone alarm, and instead must be assaulted by a missile. I am not that deep a sleeper!

Today was spent answering calls, and trying to reassure people that we are putting plans in place to evacuate. The calls are constant and some are ringing in, clearly in some distress, and it is quite hard to deal with on a continuous basis. However, some callers are really grateful for the advice, and I've had quite a few 'thank yous' - as have the other volunteers. I must admit that I nearly cried today when I got my first one!!!

Classic call of the day was to my friend, Caroline. A woman wants to know if she can take her Pekinese with her when we evacuate...

Anyway, we now have Chablis in the fridge (have run out of Lebanese white) a pizza in our laps and we are finally going to turn off the news (because it keeps cutting out) and put on an episode of 'The Office'. Before I pass the next blog entry to Dom, there are a couple of responses to comments on the blog I need to give:

The Sky versus BBC debate. On the whole, I have found that Sky is a bit quicker with the breaking news, but that the BBC is a little more balanced. What particularly galled us today (we have a TV in the room we are working in) is that Sky's reporting today centred on the crisis in Israel. I think that skews the story immensely in Israel's favour. The damage to Israel is minor compared to the destruction of infrastructure here in Lebanon, as well as in terms of human casualties and lives lost.

The Sydney species debate. I have so far identified her as a brown, small bird. Any advance on this based on the attached photos would be welcomed!

Under Siege V: Ahem

There are ships on their way after all. I stand corrected but we shall see what happens.

And a Sydney update: we have just checked on our lodger and she is fine. She is sitting quietly wondering what all the fuss is about (as I have previously noted, I think she is deaf). Photos arrive tomorrow. (hopefully)

Under Siege IV: Lies, Lies and Media Reports

It was quite a noisy night again. Bombs started going off around sunset, then they were quiet, resuming from around Midnight to about 4am, I think. I really couldn't be bothered to look at my watch by then as I was just focusing on getting to sleep.

Anyway, having a quick look at the media online has really got me irate. Firstly, they have been misleading people - if warships do come, and it seems they are on their way - they will take time. Barcelona, despite being 'abroad' is still quite a way from Lebanon. They are ships, not aircraft. Secondly, I have never been on a warship (apart from HMS Belfast), but I doubt very much if it is equipped to hold 15,000 passport holders in any sort of habitable conditions. I have visions of small children sleeping curled up to some large artillery. Thirdly, the Israelis have bombed the ports. Unless the press envisage us all taking to small inflatable dingys, again I am unsure how we will all get to the boats. Maybe they think the FCO will issue us all with armbands.

But, that aside, the press have gone for their usual 'let's bash the FCO about what they are not doing' line, very cheap and easy. I am no massive fan of the FCO and some of the decisions they make and yes, I think some of the contingency planning once we knew there was trouble, could have been better. But when there are people volunteering to come in and answer phones who aren't members of the Embassy, who are taking time out when they could be doing something else or hunkering down in their flats, who are kept awake the same as everyone else, who are trying to provide reassurance and information to people who are trying to get through, it really riles me that the press are saying that we aren't doing enough. Most people who we have spoken to have been in the country for a while and NEVER BLOODY REGISTERED. How are we supposed to contact these people, through ESP????????????

People seem to think that if you go abroad, you will be able to be teleported home at the first hint of trouble, I'm afraid that it doesn't quite work like that. Especially when the Israelis decide to bomb your airport, port and roads out. It's crap here, we all are in the same boat; but winging to the BBC from the safety of a mountain about how the FCO haven't helped when we have spoken to your sister and talked her through the situation is not really cricket, is it?

In other news, Sydney is well, I think she is probably deaf as she is taking the explosions in her stride. Will try to get a picture of her for the site.

I'm off to get food (there is still lots around) and then head into the Embassy to take calls from stranded citizens and journalists who are blocking our switchboard pretending to be concerned Brits in Lebanon. The irony is, when ever I do speak to someone, they are really grateful and perfectly fine. But you'd never hear about that, would you?

Oh, and the Sunday Telegraph completely failed to print online my rather indepth and useful insights (I thought) into the British situation - probably because I said that the lack of international condemnation of Israel was not helping the situation. Independent on Sunday - where were you!?!?!!!!!

Under Siege III

Last night was surprisingly quiet in Beirut. We were expecting a lot of noise and bombardment as Hizbullah managed to bomb an Israeli warship. Around 7pm there were a couple of very loud explosions in the south of Beirut where Israeli jets bombed the Hizbullah HQ. The head of Hizbullah, Nasrallah, survived the attack and upped the stakes by saying that it is now all-out war. Israel continues to blame the government and people of Lebanon for this and is in no mood to stop its assault. From listening to radio 4 online (God bless the internet!) the comments that are coming through from the US are not particularly helpful - in fact Bush has been his usual impotent useless self, showing his unique talent for making a bad situation worse. Comments from an Israeli general, as you might expect, are so insensitive as to make your blood boil.

What's interesting, and probably has no small part in shaping some people's take on things, are the comments from the media - even the BBC. For example: '4 Israeli solders missing' runs one headline after the attack on the warship. Another reads '2 Israelis killed in northern border town'. Now, I am not denying that these are tragedies for the families. But when you then hear that over 60 Lebanese civilians have been killed in the strikes since they began, you get a bit of perspective. You don't hear about these deaths as much - if you do, they don't seem to be as humanised. You don't hear about the family of 10, about the children that have died. Also, I was under the impression that if you join the army, you do so with the knowledge that you may be placed in dangerous situations, and that you may get injured or die. So why the shock-horror when Israeli soldiers attack a country (in a completely disproportionate response) and then get injured/missing/killed?

Latest news is that we've been advised to be ready to leave at short notice. Not sure when, or where - of course an evacuation is really a last resort. No one seems to be intervening internationally to stop the Israelis. I'm off to answer phones again this afternoon.

In other news we have an expectant mother (not me!) lodging with us! A bird is nesting on our windowsill - Dom has bizarrely Christened her Sidney - I think I will feminise it to Sydney. Anyway, she is sitting on her eggs and I shall keep you updated of her progress!

Under Siege II

We certainly didn't sleep through the bombings last night. We were woken at about 3.45am by some shelling, which then continued for around 2 hours on and off with a few hits from the warships out at sea. There was some anti-aircraft fire, we could see the tracer bullets in the air. We switched off the air con as bizarrely, I felt safer actually hearing where the planes were - our air con is so loud that we were only hearing bangs, and that is not conducive to a calm state of mind. There were a few drones (unmanned planes) up above too. As the night drew to a close you could hear the mosques in the south starting up, and, as dawn broke, we could see smoke rising from where the fuel tanks of the airport had been hit. It's hard from the flat to see exactly what sort of damage is being done, as the 7th floor, in Beirut terms, is not really that high, and there are always plenty of other buildings in the way.

Anyway, the working day then started off normally enough - the streets, although not as busy as usual were fairly busy with traffic. We both went into work, although my office took a while to get in, and once people were in, it was very obvious that their minds were elsewhere. It's difficult to comprehend, having thankfully never had to endure this type of agression before, just how the Lebanese feel - they are angry, paniced, scared and just want to be with their families at the moment - those who are old enough to remember what Beirut and Lebanon was like during the war have even more painful memories to contend with, I am sure.

So, eventually we were sent home. I have been manning phones, taking details of British Nationals and reiterating the Foreign Office advice: to stay put, keep indoors, watch the TV for updates etc. There are many more British nationals here than we thought - we didn't assume for one moment that people would register with us and we factor that in our calculations, but it's a testament to how well Lebanon was doing attracting tourists that so many people are on holiday here. Not that I would particularly like my holiday snaps to have Israeli warships in the background, but I am sure no one was expecting that either!

And therein lies our problem. The situation has escalated so quickly that no one has had a chance to recommend that people leave the country. Therefore there are around 15,000 people here who normally would have had a few days warning at least to leave. Now, of course, they can't.

A friend of mine headed into the southern suburbs today. She reports that people there are taking it in their stride, they are remaining calm, and that they are bracing themselves for more attacks. They have no where to go - they are from the south originally, and can't go back, and do not have the means to stay elsewhere. They, in short, are standing together and are prepared to go the distance. She said that it didn't feel agressive, but that people remained friendly towards her and just stated this as fact.

In the last half hour there have been three more explosions that we have heard. Again all in the south, but the noise is starting to carry more and more. We'll be manning phones again tomorrow - there are rumours of foreign nationals from other countries being evacuated, but most turn out to be rumours. Apparently the Swiss have taken some of their nationals out - but have refused to take partners of other nationalities - not the British position I hasten to add!

Anyway, it's still not doom and gloom here. I shall close with one amusing (well I thought) anecdote:
F: (Answering phone) Can I help?
Caller: I would like to leave the country
F: We recommend you don't travel - a lot of roads to Damascus are down and you know that the airport is closed. (clearly I am paraphrasing here)
Caller: That is OK, I plan to leave through the southern border
F: ??!!!?? You can't go through the Israeli boder!!
Caller: Why not?
F: !!!!!

Under Siege

I didn't ever expect to be blogging under these conditions. After all, the Israelis haven't done anything on this scale since 1996 when they bombed Cana. But today they surpassed themselves. I am not condoning Hizbullah's actions at all but the Israelis cannot go bombing airports, roads and killing civilians in this manner. It amounts to bully boy tactics and seeks to destroy a lot of what the Lebanese are trying hard to create - a vibrant and progressive economy that relies heavily on tourism. It was stupid to kidnap the soldiers - the response has been disproportionate. We cannot fly out, we cannot sail out and we cannot drive out. But, quite frankly, I don't want to. I enjoy living here; this is my home for the next two years and I want to stay. I like my job (but not the hours!).

There are no plans to evacuate at the moment. The advice we have is to stay inside, watch tv and we will be contacted if necessary. Tonight will be the test - the Israelis may well come down hard parts of Beirut and the South. I doubt if I will hear it though - I slept through the airport attack rather embarassingly...

So, anyone who is worried - we are fine. The magazine is going well - obviously we're rethinking our theme for August - we feel that bling may not be the best thing to go with, but we are still publishing. Life goes on here in Beirut!