The 12th of July was supposed to be a nice, hot, and summery day in Lebanon; A day of ordinary crowded streets with multinational passports’ bearers wondering through Beirut’s different districts and corridors. Streets either with public restaurants with manageable prices dispersed on the edges, fashion stores displaying their latest inventories, and people walking under the hot sun rays either for leisure and shopping or where the prestigious Gucci, Givenchy, Massimo Dutti, Aishti…etc stores where prices, although high, but still find their shoppers from Local sects or from Europe and the Gulf.
No one was thinking that any thing abnormal may take place since our political leaders did confirm to calm political dialogues in this season in order to conserve stability. From there, everyone was relaxing, and concentrating on making the ultimate benefit of the period.
With a glance, everything turned grey with news coming from the south about a military operation on the southern borders where two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah. It was supposed to be as any other operation that Hezbollah undergoes there and the reaction would be contained. Mr. Hassan Nasralla conducted a press conference which in a way or another had put the expected Israeli reaction within limits and did confirm that there should be no worries from the escalating Israeli speeches that started to hail the press with statements calling for a painful military counterattack all around Lebanon if the soldiers were not returned within 24 hours.
I did expect some military escalations in the same pattern that took place in May 27th the same year. But as the hours passed in that day, things started to be taken more seriously on the political as well as on the public side; Israel raised its speech threshold, and breaking news started transmitting news about an expected military operation that would change the political background in Lebanon and the region.
That day, I left to NDU in the afternoon to attend the final rehearsal of the commencement ceremony that was supposed to take place next day i.e. July 13th. That night, we stayed till 10 pm on campus. Everyone was talking about the expected military escalation taking place and some news where mentioning bridge attacks in Saida and Damour. Personally, I expected to witness a terrible night in Beirut. I expected to see the Israeli F16s bombing the electric facilities in Jomhour and Bsalime on the Eastern and North Eastern sides of Beirut. Not only me, but many of my colleagues expected the same thing to take place.
After the rehearsal, I went to have dinner with Jannet Elias in Molin D’or near NDU. It was a nice dinner, but I had the feeling that something terrible is underway. In the restaurant, LBC was displaying their breaking news bars on the bottom of the screen continuously. Attacks on the south, on bridges, on main roads, and on southern villages accompanied with a continuous escalating Israeli speech that Lebanon will be rolled-back 20 years towards the past. What that meant, simply destruction of our infrastructure and economy.
The second morning, on July 13, I was expected to attend my graduation ceremony at NDU at 4:00pm. I stayed watching TV all the morning hours, following the events. Everything showed that we are under an Israeli military attack that will have to limits in the coming days. I called NDU asking if any schedule changes have been made. They replied that everything will take place as planned. I gave my parents a call and confirmed the ceremony. They were in Bekaa following the news and frankly they didn’t expect the graduation to take place. They moved to Beirut, and while they were parking, they heard on the radio that NDU have cancelled the ceremony planned on July 13th. I felt guilty, making them move all that distance for nothing. We started talking about the matters. My mom was worried about what is happening, she told me that they didn’t sleep last night because of the roaring and bombing of planes in the south; we are usually familiar with such sounds since we are close to the south and it was a routine thing to take place in the period that proceeded May 2000, the Liberation of the south.
Dad wanted to leave immediately, especially after the dropping of leaflets over Beirut calling all the people of Beirut’s Southern Suburb, known as Dahye’, to evacuate the area before night falls. From our balcony, we started witnessing traffic. Things were so unorganized, and panic started rising. I have never seen Beirut in such a condition and I didn’t really expect to see Beirut in a state of war in my life. Me myself didn’t want to leave to Bekaa. But my dad insisted on me because there were threats to target Dahr L Baidar bridge that night, and it is considered our main exit to our home in West Bekaa where expected calmness would remain.
We moved there at around 10:00 pm. Roads were nearly empty and a state of carefulness was wrapping the region. We reached home at 11:10 pm. And turned the TV on. Footage of smoke and fire were filling the screen. Beirut was under attack. I didn’t know how to feel. I felt scared and confused. I was worried that the attacks cover all Beirut. The Beirut we all love; the city of modernity and vitality; the place of pleasure and happiness; the center of life. I didn’t want to watch more, I prayed for God to blind Israel’s eyes from our city, and keep us this hope of a beautiful place, of a flourishing future, and a place we had a lot of memories in. What really scared me is to pass through the same experience our parents lived. (to be continued)
