PRESS TV: Blast at Haret Hreik Claims Promising Young Lives

Teen in Dahieh who escaped three bombings dies in blast. Salem-News.com writer Franklin Lamb knew two of the victims.

Maria Jawhari and Ali Hasan Khadra. Facebook photo

(SALEM / BEIRUT) - Naharnet News began their article about the death of Maria Jawhari, a teen girl in Beirut, with her quote, "This is the third bombing that I escape, I don't know if the fourth will kill me – feeling sad," 18-year-old Maria Hussein al-Jawhari wrote those words on her Facebook page on 02 January 2014, in the wake of the deadly blast that rocked al-Arid Street in Haret Hreik.

"Nineteen days later and in the same location, the fourth explosion went off, killing Maria, who joined the martyrs Malak Zahwi and Ali Hasan Khadra who were martyred in a bombing that she escaped, and Mohammed al-Shaar who was martyred in the Starco blast," An Nahar newspaper reported.

According to reports, at least four people were killed and another 46 injured.

Maria's Facebook post quickly went viral on social networking websites. Some activists attached it to a picture of 20-year-old university student Ali Ibrahim Bashir, who was standing near his house when the blast ripped through Haret Hreik. He was a friend of our reporter, Dr. Franklin Lamb, lives very close to the location of this most recent deadly explosion.

Dr. Lamb sent an email to friends earlier today saying, "Our friend who lived on the 5th floor, Ali Bachir, is one of so-far four known killed this morning in the apparent suicide operation on the next street over next to Abeer's Travel agency next to Amro's restaurant."

He says Ali was always a friendly and smiling kid who stood tall with his jelled hair.

"Ali was on his way to classes when at shorty past 11:00 a.m. this morning the speculated 20 kilo bomb was set off. The last time I spoke with Ali was last week when i kidded him about why he was growing a beard recently and told him he had better not even think about fighting in Syria. He mentioned he lost two friends from our neighborhood in Qusar and did even know how to hold a gun and that he was for sure staying in school. As i rode off and waved and shouted, 'you are one fine young man Ali!...... and so he was."

A witness to so much, Franklin has moved between the Sabra Shatila Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Tripoli and Damascus, over the last couple of years, trying to raise public awareness as the United States and other western powers have funded and directly waged war on secular Arab nations. By funding al Qaeda in an effort to unseat governments like that of Bashar al Assad in Syria; those same US backed jihadist warriors are eliminating the security and lives of Shia, Jewish and Christian people who lived in peace until the western countries launched their invasive wars. Several people died today because of those policies originating in Washington DC and Tel Aviv.

"Such a lovely young man it breaks one's heart. People here are are sickened of all the needless killing. A very sad day..."

Franklin Lamb also knew Maria Jawhari.

He described her as, "...a lovely teenager from Hermel who works in the dress shop next to our building entrance...

This article continues on Press TV

Background

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/01/22/347030/beirut-blast-claims-young-lives/

Facebook - R.I.P Maria Al-Jawhari & Ali Bashir

HSN/HSN

Tim King specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide. His years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine. Tim is the news editor for Salem-News.com and holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and The Red Cross More articles by Tim King