Dahr Jamail

TYRE, Lebanon – Israeli warplanes have attacked the Lebanese Red Cross repeatedly, members of the medical aid group say. "The night of July 23, we were called to rescue a family whose home was bombed," Kassem Shaulan, a 28-year-old medic with the Lebanese Red Cross in Tyre told IPS. "Just as I finished loading the … Continue reading “Lebanese Red Cross Repeatedly Targeted”

SIDON, Lebanon – The Israeli attack on Qana has taken the biggest toll of the war, but it is only one of countless lethal attacks on civilians in Lebanon. Large numbers fled the south after the Israeli military dropped leaflets warning of attacks. Others have been unable to leave, often because they have not found … Continue reading “Lebanese Civilians Bear the Brunt of Israel’s Destruction”

Byblos, Lebanon – Israeli air strikes on an electricity plant have released oil that has now spread over much of Lebanon’s coastline. More than 15,000 barrels of oil have hit the coast after the bombing of five of six storage tanks at the plant in the coastal village El-Jiye, 30km south of Beirut. The northern … Continue reading “Oil Spill Hits Lebanon, No Cleanup in Sight”

BEIRUT – Lebanese doctors, aid workers, and refugees are all reporting that the official number of dead in Lebanon is far lower than the actual. "I think that the real number is at least 750 dead so far," Dr. Bachir el-Sham at the Complex Hospital in Sidon told IPS in a telephone interview. Sidon is … Continue reading “Lebanese Death Toll Could Be Twice the Official Figure”

BEIRUT – Amid the rapidly worsening situation in Lebanon, the government finds itself too weak and divided to deal either with Israel or Hezbollah. In turmoil since the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005, the government of this tiny country of 3.8 million has been struggling to overcome internal factions, despite … Continue reading “Fractured Govt Leads Devastated Country”

BEIRUT – The continuing Israeli bombing of south Lebanon and south Beirut might just have strengthened the Hezbollah. The bombings appear particularly to have strengthened the hand of Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the charismatic Hezbollah leader. Hezbollah has over the years gained a strong following in Lebanon primarily on the back of its engagement in social … Continue reading “Hezbollah Could Be
Gaining Strength”

BEIRUT – Among hundreds of thousands of refugees scattered across city parks, schools, and abandoned buildings in Beirut, new and chilling words have been doing the rounds. A senior Israeli air force official announced on Israeli army radio that "Army chief of staff Dan Halutz has given the order to the air force to destroy … Continue reading “Lebanese Refugees Have Only Their Anger”

BEIRUT – About 55 percent of all casualties at the Beirut Government University Hospital are children of 15 years of age or less, hospital records show. "This is worse than during the Lebanese civil war," Bilal Masri, assistant director of the hospital, one of Beirut’s largest, told IPS Monday. Not only are most of the … Continue reading “Bombings Hit Lebanese Children Hardest”

BEIRUT – Much of Beirut is a devastated city: infrastructure in many areas lies in a shambles after the Israeli bombing. But the Lebanese are also feeling devastated. "Does our country not have the right to move forward like other democracies?" asks Nidal Mothman, a 35-year-old taxi driver in downtown Beirut. "We hate the American … Continue reading “Lebanese Devastated as Bombing Continues”

DAMASCUS – The daily Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and the floods of refugees pouring in have set off a wave of anger through Syria. “How can people watch this destruction in Lebanon and do nothing,” Hassan Majed Ali, president of the Union of Engineers in Damascus told IPS. “What is happening in Lebanon is opposed … Continue reading “Fury Grips Syria Over Lebanon Attacks”