BEIRUT, 18 July 2006 — The lights aren’t completely out in Lebanon yet. The bloggers in Beirut are still typing furiously away in front of lit computer screens.

Although Israeli airstrikes have taken out much of the country’s infrastructure and cut electricity to parts of the capital, people here are turning to the Internet as one of their information sources - and to get their views out.

Under siege and unable to leave, their missives underscore the rage, fear and desperation being felt by the population as the bombardments continue.

For them, it’s blogs versus bombs. And the frequent sense of victimization is palpable.

One writer, identified as Bob, AKA Beirutus, said in an entry filled with spelling errors - but also with anger - that Israel was guilty of incomprehensible brutality.

His site, 12manypeaches.com, which links to an online petition (julywar.epetitions.net) urging people to “Save the Lebanese Citizens,” added that he could not understand how Israel has “no problem in cornering a whole population of a sovereign nation, and killing them.”

Another blogger, Mustapha of BeirutSpring.com, laid the blame on the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Hardig, a Swedish student stuck in Beirut, has started a site called Beirut Under Siege, on which he wrote that “in between their raids, there is really nothing to do, other than think about what a depressing situation this is.”

He said he loved Beirut and was reluctant to flee.

“I think it’d be more risky for me to try and make it to Syria on my own, and as for the organized evacuation of Swedish citizens, I think there are others that have been more directly affected by the bombings and therefore should be evacuated before me.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hardig said he was finding it hard to change his habits, particularly when going to the supermarket to prepare for a long hunkering down period.

The blog index site www.technorati.com noted that Beirut’s mention in the blogging community skyrocketed after Israel began its offensive last Wednesday.

Not all the bloggers were in Lebanon. At least one said he was in Iraq - on the site “Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome.”

“I am not going to play ‘my war is better than yours’ but it is enough to say that by Iraqi standards the whole crisis in Lebanon still seems more like a walk in the park,” he wrote.

“But as time goes on and the heat rises, I can only wonder if Lebanon will see the same sad scenes and massive tragedies as Iraq.”