A Letter From Lebanon

Please note: This letter from Lebanon was written on just the 3rd day of the Israeli attack, which has greatly escalated, and is killing hundreds of innocent people. It was forwarded to me.

"To all my friends,
please do bear with me and read this e-mail summarizing the attack on Lebanon.

Israel has launched a fierce attack on Lebanon three days ago claiming that it wanted to rescue two of its soldiers that were kidnapped by Hezbollah (the Lebanese resistance group).

These soldiers were kidnapped in order to be traded with 3 Lebanese detainees that were imprisoned by Israel.

These prisoners are still held for more than 15 years now without any trial, and are being detained in the worst possible living conditions contrary to the Geneva law for war prisoners (it should be noted that Israel is holding 9000 Arab detainee with 200 of them being children).

What have been pictured by Israelis as an act to rescue its soldiers turned out to be a savage act to destroy Lebanon. All of Lebanon from extreme South to extreme North is under siege.

Israel has blocked our air, sea and land space. It has bombed our only international airport and destroyed our remaining internal airports. It had blocked all our naval ports and had destroyed practically most of Lebanon's important bridges. Not only that, even the roads that links us to Syria (the only border country other than Israel) have been demolished as well.

In all, Lebanon has been isolated from the world!!!

We are left alone facing the Israeli bombs and airplanes (especially that the US has put an embargo on the Lebanese army to buy and obtain air defense missiles).

Where should I start?

International news agencies are not showing the atrocities taking place in Lebanon; they are conveying different messages to the international community.

The real deal is: the Israelis are targeting civilians.

So far they have killed 92 citizens. In addition to those slaughtered, hundreds were injured most of them children. The Israelis are targeting schools, mosques, parks, playgrounds, houses.

We will not forget the house targeted in the Dweir region (South of Lebanon), where a whole family of 12 (10 of them children aged between 7 and 12) were killed during their sleep.

We will not forget the truck that was bombed by Israeli airplanes and killed 21 citizens (most of them women and children) who were escaping the Israeli artillery.

These are not a "one of its kind attack" - the same has been happening in different regions of Lebanon, whole families are being killed.

How can we forget, how can we not object?

Do we sit in silence like the free world who claims to cherish humanity and the right to live???

Do we sit and take it all in the name of "the right of Israel to defend itself" (President Bush's Speech in Germany yesterday)????!!!!

However we are not standing still.
The Lebanese with all their factions are fighting back, fighting for their right to live!!!
The resistance is striking back.

Yesterday night, the resistance destroyed an Israeli warship that was pounding our beloved Beirut. The fight continues for now.

The situation can be summarized in one Sentence: Goliath fighting David and this time we are David.

With our strong will to stand firm and resist we will not bow to this vicious Israeli army equipped with every possible weapon known in the world (of course supplied abundantly by what is called the free world or the West)!!!

I am sending this mail and currently living under the line of fire. No where to go, Israel is pounding Lebanon from land, air and sea (actually I can see the warships from my balcony)!!!!!

All infrastructures is destroyed, no one is safe anymore!!!!! I am ok so far just bought food, water and Gas for my family as these necessities will be harder to get in the upcoming days due to the embargo (all ports are bombarded so there is no way for aid to reach, water and electricity facilities are being destroyed as well).

When you read this mail, please pray for Lebanon, pray for Peace, and let your surroundings know what this terrorist country called Israel is doing!!!!!!!

Maybe the International community will finally wake up and do something about it! Not enough words can describe the savagery of the attack.

Yours Sincerely,
Wael