Boston to Beirut: Friends, Family Wait and Worry

July 16, 2006 — -- When horrible things happen someplace far away, it is easy to pause for a moment, shake your head and say "that's awful" before returning to your safe, comfortable life -- even if you work in the news industry like I do, as a producer for ABCNEWS.com.

I do not enjoy that luxury with the situation in Lebanon and Israel. One of my closest friends is caught in the middle of the violence.

"It's been an emotional couple days. [It's] a bit strange when you are in a country that comes under attack," wrote my friend, George Awde, who grew up with me in Westwood, Mass., but has lived in Beirut for nearly two years, working as a photographer.

George, whose parents were born in Lebanon, sent an e-mail to friends and family entitled, "Yes We're OK" on Friday, July 14, two days after the Israel began bombing Beirut -- an assault in response to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah, a militant Islamic group in Lebanon that holds seats in the nation's parliament.

But the next day, as Israel stepped up attacks on the city, George told me the air strikes were coming dangerously close to the apartment he shares with his friend, Jared McCormick, who just received his master's degree in Middle East studies from American Univeristy of Beirut.

"We live but two blocks from the lighthouse that was bombed. It was a small missile that grazed it, but it was thought that this part of the city was safe," he said. "We look out on it from our windows."

Most of the bombing happens away from George and Jared's neighborhood, and they said they have not seen any of the destruction. But they can tell it's not too far away.

"You can feel it," George told me on Sunday -- just 10 minutes after he said he heard a bomb go off. "Especially the ships when they shoot. The house shakes. We wake up in the middle of the night to a lot of bombing. We hear and feel the helicopters … like a machine gun. We see a lot of people sleeping in their cars … displaced people sleeping in public schools."

"We have it good," Jared told me.

George also told me that he is afraid of running out of bottled water. He said Lebanese tap water isn't potable, and that traffic on the city's main road has virtually disappeared.

My Friend's Mission

George's parents, who are Greek Orthodox, immigrated to the Boston area right before the Lebanese civil war. In 2004, after graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art, George moved to the Middle East to make art depicting life there. He wants Americans to see that Arabs live, love and suffer -- just like we do.

In Beirut, George has been working on a photo book funded by the European Commission. He taught art in Beirut for a year and also does graphic design for several nonprofit groups, including a women's rights club and Habitat for Humanity, Lebanon.

George and Jared have befriended artists and intellectuals from all over the world and frequent bars and clubs. Each time they came home for a visit, George seemed reinvigorated and passionate about his work.

"We love the beaches, relaxing in the villages," he wrote me. "Our friends include Americans, Europeans, Lebanese -- of all religions -- other Arabs who work and study here. Real diverse place. I'm not wanting to leave. I feel bad leaving Beirut while it's under attack; I love this city. My family is freaking out so much, I feel like staying would be selfish."

Family Ties Across Continents

George's family is paralyzed with worry. His sister Rania said she had to leave work on Friday because she couldn't concentrate. Her mother spends a lot of time on the phone talking about the crisis with relatives and receiving updates from George. Her sister Nedal is glued to the news.

"Since this has started, I have not been watching the news because I have been getting too upset," said Rania, who relies on Nedal to tell her the latest developments. "When I get e-mails from him, I get all teared up."

Rania told me that she has 40 American citizen relatives in Lebanon right now and is frustrated that they have not yet been evacuated by the United States government.

Initially, George and Jared were going to head to George's family's village in the north, but Israel bombed all the roads.

"I am a little pissed off that other countries have gotten their people out right away," Rania said, "and my brother was going to go to Syria or the [family's] village, and the U.S. embassy told them not to. They told them to stay put. Now if they travel, they could get killed. Not that I think anything will happen to them. I am not sitting here and thinking he will get killed, but you never know."

As I write this story, a U.S. military team began evacuating U.S. citizens with medical conditions via Marine Corps helicopters. There are about 25,000 U.S. citizens living in Lebanon, and the U.S. plans to evacuate them via air or sea to the island of Cyprus. State Department officials said that the process would probably take several days. Eight of the people killed today were Canadian citizens.

I spoke with George on the phone Sunday and he told me that he was with friends and was staying safe in his home. He told me the U.S. embassy said it would announce the full evacuation on the radio or television, and that it sends all registered Americans e-mail updates.

"We're just going to wait 'till the U.S. tells us to do something," he said. "If we don't have electricity, I don't know how we are going to know."

Mounting Violence

For nearly a month, Israeli forces have also been clashing with the militant wing of the Palestinian ruling party, Hamas. On June 25, an Israeli soldier was kidnapped in Gaza. Israel responded with air strikes and brought tanks into the area.

Since Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others this past week, it has been trading attacks with Israel. Hezbollah is targeting the north of Israel, and Israel is focusing on key locations in Beirut such as the airport and Hezbollah strongholds.

Israel warned people in southern Lebanon to start moving out of the area and initiated an assault on the area Sunday night. Israel also cut off access to the seaports and closed out the highway leading to the Syrian capitol, Damascus. The northern city of Tripoli has also been hit, as has central Beirut, where many civilians live. Israel warned Lebanon not to shoot down any of its aircraft.

Sunday morning, eight Israelis died when Hezbollah struck the city of Haifa. Israel promised fierce retaliation. There is also fear that the conflict might extend to Iran and Syria, which are considered sponsors of Hezbollah. There is hope for a diplomatic solution, as Italy has intervened on behalf of Israel and told Lebanon that Hezbollah guerrillas must hand over the two Israeli soldiers and pull back from the border area before a cease-fire can be reached.

George and Jared are busy soothing their families and friends, and told me to stop worrying and that "it will work out." Their biggest concern is for the Lebanese people who seem all too accustomed to hunkering down for war.

"We feel like its going to become a slaughterhouse after the foreigners leave," George said Sunday.

If you have a loved one in Lebanon, you can get information about the situation by calling 888-407-4747 of visiting the State Department's Web site.