Guns and Thunder

Another Angle of events Written for German Press May 9: Der Spiegel http://wissen.spiegel.de/wissen/resultset.html;iso?suchbegriff=irina+prentice&site=SPIEGEL THIS WAS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION WHICH I SENT IN. It became translated and is available on the link above Beirut - Irina Prentice The situation on the ground today is tense. The articulation between neighborhoods has mostly fallen under the control of the opposition forces laying a siege to the city. Movement between neighborhoods is difficult. Although there are some Christian neighborhoods in East Beirut, which are going about business as usual, most of the streets throughout the city are quiet, most shops are closed. The sound of television news travels out of inhabitants’ windows tiredly watching updates of the on television. Continuous automatic machine gun firing, rocket propelled grenades exploding, and pistols shots interrupted the city’s inhabitants sleep. The racket was magnified by an impressive and unexpected thunderstorm, which made most atheists in the city momentarily believe in a greater power reacting to the situation. This afternoon, around 3 pm, local news reported on 30 cars filled with armed men shooting in the air not far from the government seat. Analysis was mixed, but the consensus attributed the event as a symbolic threat to the government seat. Since reports of the drive-by, the surrounding area around the government seat has quieted down. Nevertheless, the army is on high alert in the street making access to the downtown virtually impossible. In attempt to reach a news agency downtown, a soldier in civilian clothes machine gun in hand stopped traffic saying there were snipers in the area. In the meantime, back in East Beirut, Maroun, a Christian opposition supporter, explains while sipping coffee in his living room that it is a matter of time before things calm down. He sees the opposition as agents for necessary change of the political landscape. In his reading of the situation, the present government must be ousted from power in order to permit a new ruling force to clean up the corruption and handover Lebanon for the Lebanese. “I am support the Hezbollah one hundred percent, and am confident that once they oust the current government everything will come back to normal”, Maroun said. “It is time to get international forces meddling in Lebanese affairs out. They have no business here.” “Lebanon should be for the Lebanese once and for all”. Maroun’s optimistic resolution may play itself out quite differently on the ground. The consensus among people is that none knows how the situation will end. Many believe that this will be a short-lived event, yet caution to stay in doors for the next few days. Open shops today were bustling with Beirutis stocking up on provisions of food, water and cigarettes. Reportedly, shelves of produce were emptying by late morning, people getting ready to sit out the present crisis. In the meantime international agencies and embassies throughout Lebanon have sent out messages to foreign workers and visitors to stay in doors until a resolution is found. In other parts of Beirut, heavy gunfire resounded near March 14th supporter, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Eye-witnesses explained that the shooting was little more than celebratory, as no news of damages of casualties emerged from the area. From the perspective of the street, although the city is locked down, things for the time being are mostly quiet, and the general sentiment is that everyone is on standby until further notice. People are waiting for political decisions and compromises to be reached, and hope for order to be restored fast.