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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Lebanese Civilians In A Panic After Surprise Israeli Attack Residents Of Beirut’s Southern Suburbs Are Predominantly Shiite Muslim Refugees Who Fled Invasion 14 Years Ago

New York Times

When Israeli warplanes fired their rockets into the southern outskirts of the capital on Thursday, it was the last thing most civilians expected.

“It all came as a surprise,” Ali Shamas, an electrician from the Bekaa region, said after three Israeli helicopter gunships fired rockets on the densely populated southern slums bordering the Beirut International Airport on Thursday morning. “We were not prepared for attacks from the air and the sea.”

“All the victims are civilians,” he said. “The guerrillas are fighting in the south.”

Panicked civilians in the suburbs had run in different directions, seeking shelter or trying to collect their children from schools.

“It brings back memories of panic and fear that we hoped were buried,” said Nabil Ayyad, a resident of the southern suburb of Ouzai, referring to the Israeli invasion 14 years ago.

Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs are predominantly Shiite Muslim refugees who fled their homes in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa as a result of that invasion.

They provide grass-roots support for the estimated 8,000 Party of God fighters led by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, a Shiite cleric, and backed by Iranian money.

The Party of God and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire across the border over the last two weeks, and some civilians have been struck in violation of an agreement to protect civilian targets.

On Tursday, Party of God guerrillas sealed off the districts of Haret Hreik and Bir el-Abed, where houses and offices of the Party of God leaders are situated. Residents were ordered to stay at home while the Israeli warplanes hovered over the capital.

Although many political and religious leaders of the Party of God maintain homes and offices in the overpopulated suburbs, many rarely spend two consecutive nights in one place.

One of the four rockets on Thursday blew up a two-story building housing the highest policy-making body of the Party of God, the shura or consultative council.

While guerrillas armed with AK-47 assault rifles swarmed through the stronghold, ambulances sped through the narrow streets carrying the injured.

But not everyone was shocked by the Israeli attack. After a series of mysterious killings and bombings in their ranks, Party of God guerrillas have been observing strict security precautions, checking and investigating every suspicious person or movement.

Ahmed Sayegh, a garage owner in the southern suburb of Dahyeh, was one of the people who was not surprised. He also had an explanation for the low casualty figures from the attack, saying: “People in this area have been expecting a big Israeli crime for sometime, and everybody has taken precautions.”