Israelis Target Christian Part of Beirut

AKI
Jul. 20, 2006

Beirut, 19 July (AKI) - Israeli warplanes targeted for the first time a Christian area of eastern Beirut on Wednesday morning. No one was reportedly injured in the attack. Two trucks were hit near the department store 'Abc' in the heart of the Ashrafiyah neighbourhood. The two vehicles were however not reportedly transporting missiles as initially thought. Residents panicked and took to the streets after the raid. "We aren't safe here anymore," Ratiba Naaman told Adnkronos International (AKI).

A 73-year-old Palestinian refugee who moved to Lebanon in 1948, Naaman wondered: "Why are they attacking these areas? It is them who are the terrorists."

Carole Haddad, who owns a pharmacy near the 'Abc' department store, said: "I hate Nasrallah (the leader of the Shiite guerrille Hesbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran) and his warmongers, I hate Iran, but I am also Lebanese and cannot stand that my country is destroyed. The Israelis are terrorists like Ahmadinejad."

Most residents of Ashrafiyah were expected to leave their homes on Wednesday.

(Lto/Aki)