Four days of counting explosions in Beirut

Thursday 13 July

I saw my first bomb. : (

It was sort of an orange glow in a mound shape a ways off in the distance. Shortly thereafter we heard the boom. That spot was still burning just a bit ago from up on the roof. Israel dropped Arabic-language propaganda leaflets around at about 8:30 pm saying something about how it is all because of Hizbullah ... I have one that fell on our roof.

Friday 14 July

3:30 am

Awoke to planes overhead and another explosion to the south. Apparently
anti-aircraft also, red lights coming up from ground. My roommate Meredith
heard three bombs so far tonight or three planes ... Now Meredith thinks she's heard four bombs and/or sonic booms. The anti-aircraft go up as red lights and then twinkle white in the sky. It's still burning away in the south. The anti-aircraft were coming up not only from the south but from a more easterly neighborhood too. We can hear muezzin (call to prayer) singing someplace not too incredibly far away.

4:15 am

Another really loud plane and blast followed by at at least another plane (my roommate Amanda says a sonic boom). Lots of anti-aircraft (you dont always see them twinkle).

4:38 am

Another loud blast felt this one. Just when you think you can go back to bed. Amanda felt the door shake downstairs.

4:46 am

Another blast. These last two we didn't seem to see so I don't know whether they came from the same area. The smoke from the southern fire is spread all across the sky. Amanda said the US vetoed some UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel and I said thats half the reason the US exists.

6:00 am

Amanda sad there were two more bombs around 5:00 am. We still have power.

7:30 am

Meredith says she counted seven or eight blasts total. She heard on the news
that they hit fuel reserves, which explains the fire and black smoke still across the sky.

7:44 am

Jo Trainer, who lives in our building, says we're about two kilometers from the southern areas that were being hit. Israel hit the rest of the runways at the airport, the Beirut-Damascus highway and some buildings in the southern suburbs supposedly belonging to Hezbullah offices.

11:26 am

So the power went out while we were sleeping; were not sure exactly why, but it's been out since sometime between 9:45 and 10:45 at least.

12:22 pm

Still fly-overs, sonic booms, anti-aircraft fire. Venturing out.

1:30 pm

I've come up through Sassine to Sodeco and found the bagel shop. Lots of
places still have power though our techpoint did not. Hopefully I can find an Internet place to check the news and send emails.

7:30 pm

They've struck again. I heard and felt two whilst making some food. I went up to the roof and our neighbor Rida said there were four straight in a row. Smoke was rising from the south. Power's gone out.

More

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article5032.shtml