Israeli bombing turns the Land of Lebanon into a ghost town

reuters_tickers

By Amina Ismail and Abdul Hadi Al-Ramahi

Photos (Lebanon) (Reuters) – Loud explosions echoed, columns of black smoke rose into the sky, archaeological sites were evacuated of tourists, fishermen moved away from the coast, and cargo was abandoned -hills and beaches. Israeli bombing turned the beautiful Lebanese coastal city of Tire into a ghost town.

Tires were safe for most of the year, when they saw an exchange of fire between the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel. But Israeli airstrikes this week have raised fears that nowhere in Lebanon will be safe.

Near one of the three residential buildings reduced to rubble Wednesday, a family placed their belongings in a parked car surrounded by pieces of broken glass and debris. Eight mattresses were loaded on top of the car and tied with rope.

Israeli bombing destroyed the facades of the surrounding buildings, completely exposing bathroom and kitchen pipes. Personal belongings were scattered everywhere: shoes, pictures, toys and clothes.

The beautiful beaches in Tiree were empty of visitors. Just last month, environmental activists were helping endangered sea turtles lay their eggs on the coast, but since then, the Israeli military has warned against marine activity, saying that they may be targeted.

The fisherman Khalil Ali (59 years old) sat on a pier and threw a hook into the sea without hope.

He said, “We are worried … the situation may be similar to Gaza, and the Israelis will issue new (orders) to evacuate us and expel us from our homes.” This war is not like 2006. It is very difficult.

The authorities in Lebanon said that more than 2,500 people were killed in the Israeli attack on Lebanon, and more than 1.2 million people were forced to flee their homes.

Hassan Dabouq, the mayor of Tire, told Reuters that only a quarter of the city’s population was left, and that many feared that the destruction that occurred in the Palestinian Gaza Strip would also affect them.

He said, “The same people, the same war, the same mentality, the same Israeli officials with the same American support and the same European support.” The elements are the same, why do we want to be different (so that the case is different) in Lebanon? “

In the port of Tiree, dozens of ships were at anchor on Wednesday morning. This area is usually bustling with activity as fishermen bring their catch to sell to merchants, but now the place is full of cautious silence. A few fishermen came, not to fish, but to look at their boats.

Shops and restaurants were closed, and refrigerators containing fresh fish were closed and empty of produce.

* “Hard War”

Only those who had nowhere else to go and those who felt an obligation to stay stayed in the city. A resident from Tiree said she would rather stay in her own town than die as a refugee.

Wael Marwa (49 years old), director of Jabal Amel Hospital, also chose to stay in the city. This hospital is one of three hospitals that still provide its services in southern Lebanon.

Marwa, who lived through many wars, remembers her childhood, which was full of bombs, explosions and destruction.

He decided not to expose his three children and his family to the same horrors, so he sent them to a safe place in the north while he stayed in Tyre.

He told Reuters at the hospital, “A difficult decision, a decision to part with we may never see each other again.” We don’t know how things will go in this vicious war that is going against us.”

In the corridors of the hospital, mattresses and other personal items were scattered. To convince some of his workers to stay, Marwa let them stay there with their families.

As in the town itself, only a quarter of the doctors remained in the hospital, and a little more than a third of the nurses remained.

Marwa visited the intensive care unit and the dialysis unit to check on about 30 patients who were injured in the war, many of them badly injured and unconscious.

Marwa sends stable patients to Beirut every day, but as the conflict continues, he prepares and prepares the hospital for the worst.

He said there are disturbing patterns in Israel’s actions in Lebanon that are similar to what happened in Gaza, especially in targeting relief workers, medical aid, and hospitals.

Lebanon says 13 of its hospitals and more than 100 other health facilities are out of service due to Israeli strikes. The World Health Organization says more than 100 doctors and rescue workers were killed last year in Lebanon.

Marwa believes that these Israeli strikes are an attempt to undermine morale, but says that they have not affected her sense of responsibility.

He said, “If everyone left their own country, no one would still be there… Our presence here as doctors and as a hospital is part of our stability in the area.”