BEYFlyer

IDF just sent a warning that they are about to start shelling the suburbs of Beirut... Next stop is downtown Beirut I guess...

entropy

well, take cover BEYFlyer!

I am a bit surprised that they are going after Lebanon as hard as they are... Iran is the responsible party.... they should just ask the US to fly some B52's over the Iranian revolutionary guard bases and let 'em taste MOAB.

GUWonder

Iran has a couple of nukes whether they can deliver it or not. Pakistan got paid well for some of it. And N. Korea got paid decently (at least via China) for delivery "possibilities", if those ever come on line "properly". Well, at least Iran's current President is not really in charge in that regard. And this is a pretty busy foreign tourist season in TEH too, with quite a number of American, British and French citizens around.

At least some flights to BEY were diverted to Cyprus. Cyprus will become a more popular place for some of the wrong reasons again.

Dovster

If there is shelling of the Beirut southern suburbs (which CNN describes as Hizbollah strongholds) it will be in retaliation for the attacks made on Israeli cities such as Nahariya and Kiryat Shemona. I am not happy that Israel is considering doing this but I can understand the reasons for it.

Obviously, whatever happens closest to you, you will see as the worst. The same is true with me. That is only human nature.

My local airport, a small one which only has flights to Tel Aviv, was attacked today. It can in no way be compared to BEY in importance but for me, personally, it is worse -- as it is the airport that I use.

The shelling on both sides of the border has been tremendous and is still going on. Moreover, I would not be surprised if it continues for one or even two weeks. I can hear both the rockets and mortar shells which land near me and the IDF artillery shells being fired from here into Lebanon.

Any death of an innocent is something to mourn, no matter which side of the border he lives on, but frankly I consider it close to a miracle that the fatalities are as low as they are. The exchange of fire is so intense that I would have thought it would be much higher.

As an aside to others reading this thread, I want you to know that I just received a very warm and well appreciated PM from BEYFlyer. I am also happy that the posting to this thread has been free of the extremism which has marked its OMNI counterpart. I would be very happy if it continues in this vein.

BEYFlyer

Manar TV (affiliated with Hizbollah) stations and relay points are being targeted all over the country (I guess there programs are not that great after all )... It is always a pain in the behind when one just sits there not knowing what to expect next. There is some idiot on local TV talking rubbish about everything and nothing while hundreds of tourists are fleeing the country via the Lebanese/Syrian border. To answer GUWonder's question, it seems that one of the runways has sustained some damage, and as the transport minister put it, "We don't need to use the entire runway for planes to land on it". Now, who will take the first step and land at the airport is anyone's guess, but I have a strong feeling that the answer is "none".

BEYFlyer

Dovster, news channels are reporting that Israel has decided to establish a 20km buffer zone within Lebanon (back somewhat to the pre-2000 scenario). Can you confirm from your end? This is not a short term thing then, is it???

AJLondon

Yup. Such a sad state of affairs.

BEYFlyer, stay safe and do you know if the other FTers in Beirut (GK for example) are all okay...

GUWonder

Is phone service operating fine around BEY? I'm not having trouble reaching people in TLV or elsewhere in Israel, but a lot more people who roam on their numbers in/around BEY are not picking up as fast as usual. Maybe they -- not the Israelis -- have already hit the road/skies from nearby or are on the phone even more than usual.

GK

I am in Riyadh, but my partner Sean is still at home in Beirut. Not sure what his plan is yet.

Dovster

Israel has said that it will return Lebanon to where it was 20 years ago. It did not, however, say what that means. It can be interpreted as re-establishing a buffer zone (which was 40 kilometers, not 20) or hitting the infrastructure hard enough to set Lebanon back 20 years.

I do know that Israel's announced aim is not to hold a buffer zone within Lebanon but to force the Lebanese Army to man the border between the two countries -- instead of Hizbollah.

Personally, I think this would be a wonderful thing for both countries. However, I doubt whether the Lebanese government has the will to do this or the Lebanese Army has the strength to force Hizbollah out.

Right now, the only way I can see this being accomplished is if the Israeli and Lebanese armies work together (even unofficially) to oust Hizbollah and then the Lebanese Army takes up the positions along the border.

Dovster

GUWonder, I don't know how many of the people you have been trying to reach are in bomb shelters but those that are will not have any connectivity.

BEYFlyer

Lines might simply be over loaded but so far, no problems getting through to most people on land lines and mobile phones. Not sure how long this will last.

I sent a message to GK and it seems he is in Riyadh but should be heading to Istanbul soon.

GUWonder

That's another explanation for some of them maybe. But prying the phone away from their ears is not an easy thing.

ralfkrippner

I hope all of you in the area are still safe and will not be harmed.

I pray that this will end soon - but from a rational standpoint I fear it may only be the beginning of a larger conflict...

BEYFlyer

Another warning by the IDF for civilians in Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate their homes in preparation for a major air (and possibly sea) strike...