An update from Beirut…. Israeli war planes are continuing to bomb the city. I am writing from the Hamra district of Beirut where there are increasing amount of refugees fleeing from the southern suburbs and also the south of the country…. Throughout the day Israeli warplanes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Civilian death toll is on the rise, with official Lebanese government estimates at over 70 until now, although I would imagine the unofficial estimate is much larger…. Today a bus carrying refugees from the south was hit just outside of a village which had been bombed by the Israeli’s within recent days. It was clear that this bus was targeted and over 15 people lost their lives…. I understand that this incident is being mentioned in the international press, however we must remember that this is one incident of many within the last 48 hours, the bombings have been indiscriminate….

As I am writing this I just heard a huge explosion & the sounds of the airplanes are in the skies…. I am going tonight to interview & document the realities of the refugees fleeing from the southern suburbs into Beirut central. Also local activists in the Hamra area are attempting to assist in finding safe houses for the refugees.

At 3am in the morning last night when walking with a friend in the street I saw a caravan of refugees coming into central Beirut, I would image either from the southern part of the country or from the southern suburbs of Beirut. With this article I am posting a photo which a friend took in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in it you can see the smoke from the Beirut International airport after it had been hit by Israeli bombs.

What must be made clear is that Israel is targeting civilians & is targeting the civilian infrastructure of the country, this is without a doubt…. It is really unbelievable to me that the current Lebanese government & the current Prime Minister is has simply complained to the U.N., while making a phone call also to U.S. President Bush, that’s it that’s all. I can’t believe it civilians of Lebanon are dying and this is all the government can do….?

Anyhow…. I think that the power will cut soon, so I will stop writing now…. Hopefully I will write again tonight…. ALSO please check out the Electronic Lebanon project that has just been launched, it’s online at: http://electroniclebanon.net – Members of Tadamon! are posting their reflections, experiences & thoughts in a more formal way on this website also….

Throughout the upcoming days members of Tadamon! in Beirut will also be posting to this website, Tadamon!’s newly created Weblog. I am not certain if I will stay in the country given the situation, although now there is no choice because Israel has bombed all the major highway transportation routs to Syria. We are under a sea, air & land blockade in Beirut.

All the best to those reading….
– Stefan, in Beirut.