A chartered cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 American nationals has left Beirut heading for Cyprus. The article linked mentions that almost as an aside, but there is a telling bit in the article that bears close reading. There have been several reports from various news outlets that Israel had struck the Christian quarter of Beirut for the first time. All very breathless and very judgmental. But read this:
Israeli bombers, which had been focusing on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, also hit a Christian suburb on the eastern side of the capital for the first time. The target was a truck-mounted machine that was used to drill for water but could have been mistaken for a missile launcher. The vehicle was destroyed, but nobody was hurt in that attack. (Emphasis added)
Can you see how precise the targeting is? They took out one specific truck. If you are familiar with well drilling equipment, it could easily look like a missile launching rig since the rockets are launched from a pipe or rail.
Contrast that attack with the indiscriminant rocketing of civilian targets.
UPDATE: A lot more information on the evacuation in this story.
