Beirut under attack

Haret Hreik hit hardest

Those of you who know me personally, know that I have been coming to Beirut ever since May 1993, about two years after the end of the civil war in 1991.

Initially, I went there to start working on my Ph.D on Lebanese war literature, but that has been put on a back burner for years now. Instead, I engaged in studying my Lebanese friends, which proved much more gratifying.

During those visits to Beirut, I would either stay in Baabda (Christian) or Haret Hreik – Ghobeyri (Shia Muslim). Mind you, by car the two areas are less than ten minutes apart from each other. It is Haret Hreik that is presently hit hardest, for the simple reason that it is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Be that as it may, it is also a densely populated residential area.

The picture, taken from the Lebanese blog Beirut Lemons, shows the Ghobeyri roundabout, only minutes away from where I used to stay. So far the "Haret Hreik" family where I was staying is safe. Very early Friday morning most of the family left for their mountain village in the Beka Valley.