Small opinion piece:

There are not many people who have seen people die and get bombed, but it just so happens that I am one of those who have seen these terrible scenes. Those who have encountered such things, cannot imagine how hard it is to watch buildings tremble down and not being able to do anything about.

The only differences between 9-11 and the 2006 war in Lebanon is the setting and the cause, yet the similarities are endless. Not only did I live the fear and danger of the war but I can also relate to those who were involved in 9-11.

Losing a family member is hard enough, but having to think about the fact that you could be next is terrifying. Even though I was slightly in the shoes of those involved in 9-11, I will never be able to understand the way they felt since everybody is different.

For those who saw the planes crash into the tower buildings must have been terrified, and for those who were in the building or close to it…I pray that you were a survivor.

My story(2006 Lebanese war):

July 12, all was going well, my grandmother, aunt, my mom and I were out together. My aunt had an x-ray for her breast cancer and we tagged along. Once we got to the hospital doors, we heard a bunch of bombing sounds, we immediately thought that it was not safe. We had been used to getting bombed by Israel, but this time it was much louder and multiple bombings at once.

While my grandma and my aunt went home, my mom and I went to get my sister from school, after the administration had let out all students and called all parents. The first thing we did when we got home, was turn on the tv to watch the news.

At the time, my dad was in Jnoub (South Lebanon). He was visiting his brother Yassine with my grandparents. They overheard the news on TV about a bombing on Al Khardale bridge which was located above Nahr El Litani (the Litani River) in Wadi Al Jarmak (town in south-east Lebanon).

Their first thought was the same as ours, that it was just any bombing from Israel. They continued their conversations and after 10 minutes live news came on. It announced another bombing, this one was sudden, Al Kasmai bridge which was on the west side of The Litani bridge, was bombed. The location of this bridge was close the southwest side of the sea.

After this news, my dad’s family made the decision to get on the road to go to Beirut (capital of Lebanon). As they got to the city the condition got worst and of course my mom was losing it without her man.

When they arrived, they heard that Israel got into a city named Maroun Al Ras. This city borders Palestine, but it was just the same as if it bordered Israel since at the time it was taken over by Israel.

The war was mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, which was a militant group founded in 1085 in southern Lebanon. They are considered as a political party based in Lebanon. Because Israel’s main enemy is Hezbollah, everyone was fleeing away from the cities where Hezbollah supporters could be found.

At the time I lived in a city named Shwayfat in West Lebanon which close to the airport, South Beirut, and the ocean. The location we were in, we could see everything that was going on because the city was higher than other cities.

Our house was about less than half a mile aways from all the bombings, pretty damn close. In our neighborhood there were three apartment buildings. All our neighbours fled except for us and this one close family that lived in the third building.

The two of us decided not to flee at first because, we thought the condition was still bearable. Two weeks later when the city Dahye got hit, we then decided to leave, it was a hard decision in the beginning; but my family and the other family supported each other and we both left on our separate ways.

A lot of people fled east or went to Syria and Cyprus. These were some of the few places that people were able to flee since Israel bombed all the bridges purposely so that people had nowhere to go.

My family fled to Jdita a village in the mountain east of Lebanon were my grandparents were and came back two days later. Israel wanted everybody to suffer, therefore, it bombed all the food places and anywhere where we can get supplies from.

As soon as we got to the family house we automatically felt safe, and then it hit us that there is nothing around here no food or building standing up because it had been bombed. After we drove for four hours on dangerous roads we decided to go back to the city.

On the way as the sun started to set we stopped at a gas station to get some gas. We used the big water gallons, and filled them up with gas since we didn’t know if any other gas station would be open.

Before we fled we had about 20 people at my house because their houses were either bombed or not safe, after we arrived at Beirut the amount people increased and almost reached 40 people.

My dad was smart, he knew that we would need a bunch of food. Our best friends stayed at our house, and the husband went with my dad during the first week of the war and got big bags of flour, rice and long lasting food. Also 10 minutes away from our house there was a farm whose owners have fled, so it was left alone.

Even though it was the wrong thing to do, my dad and his friend went and picked a bunch of vegetables and brought them back home. They had no choice, and we all hoped that the owners would forgive us since it was war and there was nowhere else to get food for 30 or 40 people.

That same day they waited for the sun to set and went to nearby water stream in Ain Anoub, to get water, not the closest place to go but the safest. As soon as they got home everyone ran for the water, little did they know that the water was poisonous and not drinkable.

All the little kids including me, were the first to start throwing up and getting dizzy, then it spread out to everyone. The adults went to a doctor that was close to our house and got some Pedialite to treat our sickness. My dad and his friend went on another trip to get fresh clean water from Bouarej, Lebanon.

On another trip from Bouarej, my uncle Khalil was with my dad in the car and the only bridge left was the main bridge in Dahr El Baidar which was the highest bridge in the middle east. As they got closer to the bridge an Israeli plane let go of a big rocket or bomb that completely crashed the bridge. This being the main bridge that led to a lot of cities. it was very hard for those who have not yet fled, because this bridge went from east Lebanon all the way to west.

Early morning we heard on the news that Jisr Sapphire which was right next to my aunt’s house. My parents quickly got into the car and went to get them. They found my aunt’s family in a terrible condition; one of cousins had lost plenty of weight. He was to scared and suddened and he would not even drink a sip of water.

They tried to get home as soon as possible since the roads were too dangerous and as soon as they come in the door they heard that the airport got bombed. THE AIRPORT GOT BOMBED. A family member with his wife and kids, lived really close to the airport and by close I mean 1000 feet or less.

In that instant they got in the car and suddenly showed up on their door step and brought them over to our house. The mother was home alone with her kids my parents could not help but to get them out of there.

Believe it or not with all this crazy mess we still had fun. Two of the people that were staying at my house owned a Supermarket, and that meant a bunch of ice-cream cone for us little kids. The kids spent so much time in front of the house playing and horsing around.

My oldest sister, Sara, took three kids at a time up to the roof to look at the places that got bombed. There goes my turn with two of my cousins and we were jumping from excitement. I was holding the binoculars and looking around, as I am looking an Israeli helicopter starts heading our way letting of bombs. It was so close that we were sure that it was us we start running down and as soon as I sset foot on the stairs i trip on the seventh floor and roll down to the second floor on the stairs.

As much as it hurt, my stomach hurt even more from laughing at myself. There are so many more memories about this war, like going to bombed houses and looking at the damages, but as much as it was scary and dangerous it was really fun and it is a memory that I wish to never forget but to never go through again.

Editor’s Note:

This article was written based off of my memory and stories told by my parents.