Can It Get Any Worse?



40 dead in Lebanon strikes

· Blair leads calls for UN peace force
· More Hizbullah rockets hit Haifa
· 40 British nationals evacuated

Lebanon evacuees could top 22,000

Hundreds evacuated from Lebanon

Some 2,000 foreign nationals have been evacuated from Beirut as operations gather pace to help them escape the escalating crisis in Lebanon.

With Beirut airport damaged by Israeli air strikes, the only routes out are by sea to Cyprus or by bus to Syria.

Several hundred citizens from Italy, Sweden and Denmark have already returned home via Syria.

US and UK helicopters have air-lifted priority cases out, and several nations are planning major sea evacuations.

An estimated 12,000 Gulf Arab nationals, mainly tourists visiting Lebanon for the summer, have already fled into Syria, according to customs officials.

I hope this remains a limited conflict and does not erupt into full scale war.

For a first person perspective on the current crisis in the Lebanon be sure to check out The Lebanese Bloggers.