Local Reaction To Crisis In Lebanon

Hundreds of Lebanese families across eastern Oklahoma are on edge after learning of the assassination of a Pierre Gemayel's, a prominent Christian cabinet minister.<br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Omar Villafranca

Tuesday, November 21st 2006, 6:04 pm

By: News On 6

Hundreds of Lebanese families across eastern Oklahoma are on edge after learning of the assassination of a Pierre Gemayel's, a prominent Christian cabinet minister.

News on 6 anchor Omar Villafranca spoke to one Lebanese family who hopes the country doesn't spiral back into a civil war.

At a small storefront in midtown Tulsa, the TV is monitoring events in Lebanon. Sam and Nuhad Farhood are watching. Both were born in Lebanon, and Nuhad's three sisters and two brothers still live near Beirut. She's worried about their safety.

"Not to move anywhere, stay at home, don't leave your homes, don't walk on the street, they don't know what's going to happen," said Nuhad.

Just a few months ago Hezbollah militants fired hundreds of rockets from Lebanon into Israel. Israel fired back killing militants and some civilians in the process. Nuhadâ€™s nieces and nephews had to take cover at night.

"During the summer skirmish, they had to sleep and take the kids and put them under mattresses and stuff to protect them," Farhood said.

Half a world away, the Farhoodâ€™s pray the country doesn't fall back into a civil war. For the sake of their family, the Farhoodâ€™s hope the government can find a peaceful solution to the violence.

"Unless they decide, this country, we've lived here together for thousands of years together, lets just sit at the table boys, and come to some sort of agreement that this is how it's going to be and we're going to try and live together peacefully. Killing each other is not the answer," Sam Farhood said.

The Farhoodâ€™s have owned Cedar's Deli for almost 40 years. They used to go to Lebanon every year, but haven't returned to their home country in four years, in part because of the ongoing tension there.