Violence, it is something we all witness at some point in our life. Some people see it daily and others see it once in their lifetime. It does scar you, but the funny part is, as anything in life, if it happens a lot you just become immune to it. Now I'm asking myself, have I become one of them? This week has seen the one of the bloodiest times in Lebanon (concerning internal fighting). For those of you who have missed the news, or due to poor coverage... A group of Islamic militants known as Fatah al Islam فتح الإسلام has been resisting the Lebanese Army. The trouble recently started with a bank robbery in a small Lebanese village, Amion. The perpetrators made off with approximately $150,000. The car used in the robbery was traced back to this group, Fatah al Islam. The Lebanese Police raided an apartment used by the group in Tripoli early on Sunday(May 20th)and the militants resisted arrest. They started a small gunfight. In tandem with this gunfight, militants started to attack army positions near the Nahar al Bared Palestinian refugee camp. This is how the current conflict started. The army has been fighting the militants, all the while there were two massive explosions in Beirut. The first, in Mar Mitr, Achrafieh, ripped through cars in a parking lot adjacent to the ABC Achrafieh Shopping Mall. The blast, which happened at 11:50pm on Monday, was heard as far away as Jounieh and Jbeil. I was personally watching tv and talking on the phone when the blast rocked my apartment. I will never be able to clearly articulate what it feels like to be in a situation like that.. It is a mixture of feelings that take over. The first is the pure shock and fright from the noise, the second is a sense of being lost and not knowing where it happened. Was it next door? Was it the Israelis? Was it just a sonic boom? I ran outside to see if I could find smoke, but there wasn't any in sight. I talked to others in the neighborhood and they shared with me their stories and the shaking they experienced. After 20 mins, I was able to find out it was near the shopping mall. The next feeling is the insecurity of walking anywhere and the realization that it could have been me. I do walk past that street on a daily basis. I don't know why, but I didn't run to this blog to write about the experience, and that is what is starting to scare me. I feel like it's something that just happenes based on the time that i have spent here. It has become as common as seeing a bad car wreck in the US. You take a look at it, and are thankful it wasn't u.
The next night, there was an explosion in West Beirut.. The first since i have moved to Lebanon. This is what made me wonder who was responsible. Verdan is an upscale Sunni neighborhood. You can find some of the best shopping there, as it is quite fancy with a string of restaurants and stores. Luckily enough, there were no casualties. A few people were wounded but no deaths were reported according to my knowledge.
Now back to the main story. The army is currently sitting outside the Nahar al Bared Palestinian camp, waiting for the right moment to strike. I heard from an inside source that Lebanon is currently receiving weapons from the Gulf that are more sophisticated and will get the job done quickly. While they waiting, thousands of Palestinian civilians have fled their homes in the camp to seek shelter from the shelling. The shelling was as harsh as anything I have seen. The smoke clouds had an erie resemblance of those generated by Israeli missiles.
So what is next? The army has gotten the green light from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to enter the camp and uproot the militant organization. Some are predicting a fast operation and others believe it will be a long operation that will take weeks. We will have to wait and see. As for me, I have been just commuting back and forth between my work in downtown and my house in Achrafieh. It's probably one of the dullest moments of my life, but I can't take the risk.
The army has stepped up it's security measures by setting up tons of checkpoints. I had my own fun experience when the army pulled me and my friend over and ordered us to "Get on the ground". I have to say that i don't blame them because I haven't shaved in 2 months, but it is helping me keep on the low down as I seem to fit in more. I don't really want to scream out as an American, but I'm sure that it's not only my appearance that gives it away.
That's it for now. I will write more soon. Take care and I hope everyone out there has a quiet night.
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