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Eyewitness account from socialist in Lebanon

"THE BOMBING has been continuous and and intensive - nobody is safe. You can hear warplanes overhead all the time.

The Israeli Air Force has also taken to bombing trucks with food aid. Now whenever a car driver finds him or herself behind a truck on the road, they either stop immediately or swerve out of the way so they don't get caught in any bombing that might take place.

For those who have fled the south, they are now being housed in schools opened for refugees. The Israeli Air Force bombed one of these schools locally using the excuse that the school was being used by Hezbollah guerrillas.

In places which have been carpet bombed, people have been forced underground into shelters with no electricity or water. In two or three weeks' time, if this keeps up, there will be the onset of diseases.

Meat has run out here and yoghurt and milk are getting low in supplies. We can only have the generators on for two hours and then a two-hour break because of the shortages of diesel.

At the beginning of the conflict people were angry that Hezbollah had taken unilateral action. But because of the IDF bombings probably a majority now support Hezbollah's attacks on Israel. People are saying Israel has no right to punish the people of Lebanon."

• For more background and updates on Lebanon see www.socialistworld.net

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