A Sorrowful Summer--RD

August 12 was a peaceful morning for all of us for a few hours until: BOOM! I heard a huge explosion, so I rushed to my balcony only to see smoke rising. At first I thought that a helicopter or plane had exploded, but it was actually a bomb that had landed. I asked myself why we had received this bomb, who launched the bomb, and if everyone was ok. I did not know what was going on until I watched the news channel which informed me that an explosion had occurred at the airport.

When I first heard about the war I was very sad, because I knew that many people were going to be killed with Israel’s superior weapons. At first, I thought the war would stay for a few days, but after the first week I was not satisfied. I thought that the war will stay for a year like the previous war.

The explosions became two, three, four, and it eventually became war, and this chaos lasted five weeks. When I watched the bombing on TV with my very own eyes, the damages were serious. I could not describe what I saw. It was madness! Most of the Dahyeh region was destroyed. After the first explosion (in the southern suburbs), my brother and father went to the store and saw smoke was rising from the airport. They told me, “We have never seen such a violent explosion!”

I was shocked at how much damage a bomb could make so I wondered if we were going to be safe. Luckily, the only effect at our home was that the electricity would shut off everyday for four hours. We had to use our emergency power sometimes, so we organized a schedule which all the neighbors agreed to. However, my uncle, aunt, and cousins had to move to Ehden to be safe from the bombs because they lived near Dahyeh. Before they left, my uncle told my dad, “Take your family with you to Oman” because the situation is not good in Lebanon.

Since the airport was bombed, we went to Syria by car and traveled from the airport in Damascus to Oman. Then one day, I heard on the news that Israeli troops were moving in from the South. I thought that Lebanon would actually be invaded again by Israel. Israel invaded Lebanon before in 1982 because of the lack of their natural resources. I felt so sorry for those poor people in the South who were going to suffer, be killed, and even have their homes destroyed. Those unfortunate citizens in the South could probably smell the bombs already threatening their lives, and they could not escape anywhere since Israel blew up the bridges leading to Beirut.

In Oman, I watched the news 24/7 and I saw most of Dahyeh, one of the most bombed locations, destroyed. I could even see the smoke rising. With every bomb that landed, I despised Israel even more. I thought that I might never see my school or old friends again. It would not be the same, if I made new ones without saying goodbye to my school. The Israelis should understand how important the loss of our people is to us. They must somehow see the deaths that they have caused, respect the innocent Lebanese blood, and taste the pain of the displaced families. Israel should understand the pain that they were causing, that was leading to violence, and that violence is never the answer.

Finally, the UN acted and made a cease-fire to which both countries agreed, and the chaos eventually stopped. When I first heard the beautiful words from the news channel, “Israel will stop bombing Lebanon and is expected to move out of the country” from the news channel I was very happy. Then Nesrollah, the leader of Hezbollah, decided to celebrate because Lebanon has claimed victory. I was happy for Lebanon, but there are about 1,500 deaths that had occurred in both countries. Nesrollah said in his speech, “We will not return the two Israeli prisoners until Israel returns the Lebanese prisoners.” After this experience, I’ve learned to always be thankful for my life, and never complain about it because several people have lost their loved ones and homes. In my opinion I don’t think that neither of the countries can claim victory because once again violence is not the answer, and they both suffered tremendously.