| The aftermath of the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri has affected all of Lebanon, including those areas along the Syrian border, reducing the usual flow of traffic along the Damascus highway to a trickle. "It is a ghost town," said Tony Rayees, owner of the popular rest stop "Badyeh," which sells sandwiches and drinks to travelers through Chtaura, a town close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. "Usually there are many Syrians stopping by on Thursday and Friday, and Lebanese going shopping in Syria on Sunday, but no one seems to be moving," he added, standing in front of his empty restaurant. However, a fraction of the usual commuters continue to go about their business as usual. According to Lebanese officials at the border, "traffic coming in from Syria or leaving Lebanon has fallen from about 700 cars per day to 200 cars." They added that the halting impact "was immediate," starting as soon as word spread on Feb. 14 of the explosion in Beirut that killed Hariri and 17 other people. |
