Airline operators, security forces stand by on shaky ground of Beirut airport

BY MOHAMAD BAZZI | Newsday Middle East Correspondent

July 15, 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Neither a hail of Israeli missiles nor burning fuel tanks could keep Shehadeh Zaiter from showing up to work.

While many Beirutis stayed home or headed for safer areas on Friday, Zaiter refused to leave his post at what may be the most dangerous place in the city: its international airport, which has been bombed four times by Israeli warplanes since Thursday morning.

Zaiter, 57, a communications specialist for Lebanon's national airline, runs the airport information desk - where callers usually find out if a flight has been delayed. But since the airport closed on Thursday, Zaiter and two operators have fielded hundreds of calls from stranded tourists and Lebanese wondering when it might reopen and if there's another way to leave the country.

"We tell the callers that we just don't know," said Zaiter, who looks like a typical civil servant: neatly trimmed moustache, white shirt, maroon tie and airport ID tag. He and the two operators, Ghina Tleiss and Jihane Baddour, were the only civilians left in the airport terminal Friday.

"Sometimes you try to train yourself to be brave, to say 'It's OK, there is no other option, you have to accept what is going on,'" Zaiter said with an uneasy smile. "Otherwise, you will be anxious all the time, and this will make your morale very low."

As he finished his thought about keeping a brave front, two loud thumps shook the building. Looking out the window and realizing the explosions were nearby, Zaiter turned excitedly to Tleiss and Baddour.

"Oh, see. It's very close! It's very close! Do you see the smoke?" he asked.

Tleiss jumped from her chair, shouting, "That was here, right outside!" She picked up a phone and tried to dial the airport's command center. There was a lot of static on the line and she asked Zaiter to listen for himself.

It was around 2 p.m. local time, and Israeli warplanes had just bombed the airport for the fourth time in two days. Before, they had hit the runways. But this time, a missile had landed close to the terminal, shattering glass and shaking the building.

Plainclothes security men, with walkie-talkies and guns strapped to their belts, rushed through the terminal. They ordered Zaiter and his workers to run to an underground shelter. There, about 40 soldiers, policemen and customs inspectors were milling around, talking excitedly about the latest attack. None had been allowed to leave their posts since Thursday morning. Several soldiers complained that there wasn't enough food and water.

"We've been surviving on a piece of bread here and a bag of potato chips there," said a soldier who would not give his name. "What can we do? We can't leave our positions, and no one was expecting the Israelis to bomb the airport."

Everyone in the shelter was anxious. Even though Israel had bombed the runways and stayed clear of the recently constructed $500-million terminal, airport workers worried that the building would eventually be targeted.

After the first attack on the runways Thursday morning, all air traffic into Lebanon ceased and travelers were diverted to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Late Thursday, Israeli warplanes attacked a second time, firing missiles that set several large fuel tanks on fire. The explosions reverberated throughout the capital, and orange flames shot up from the airport. The fire was still burning on Friday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky.

Still, Zaiter and his operators refused to leave. They had been at the airport since Thursday morning, and they slept on foam mattresses. "How can we leave when people are relying on us?" asked Tleiss.

When they're not answering calls, they amuse themselves with stories and jokes - anything to keep their minds off the bombing. Sometimes, the calls are fodder for jokes.

"A man called after the first attack and said, 'I have six bottles of whiskey. Can I bring them with me on my flight?'" recalled Zaiter, laughing. "The airport's closed, and he's worried about his whiskey!"

Lebanon under fire

Israel contiued its assault against Hexbollah Friday, striking Beirut's international airport and several key access roads. Hezbollah responded with a strike against an Israel ship.

Targeting the airport

Official name: Rafic Hariri International Airport

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