Yehya Elkhatibe's thoughts these past few days have been on getting in touch with his relatives in Lebanon, living under the threat of air strikes by Israel.

Finally able to speak with them Friday morning, Elkhatibe's relief was shortlived.

He's knows they're unharmed -- for now -- but as the violence escalates there, sadness turns to anger for locals whose families are caught in the midst of the fighting.

`` I didn't sleep the last three days'' , said Elkhatibe, who owns Border Bets and Butts, a convenience store on Route 1 in South Attleboro. `` Everybody's there. I'm just alone here.''

`` There is always something in the sky, something threatening them,'' he said. `` It's their very existence.'' Israel's assault on Lebanon's infrastructure -- retaliation for the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese guerrilla group, Hezbollah, has essentially shut down's Lebanon's airports, ports and major roadways to Syria.

In three days of attacks, at least 73 people have been killed in Lebanon -- almost all of them civilians. In Israel, 12 civilians were killed in a rocket attack fired from Hezbollah.

`` I'm very sad; very, very sad,'' said Elias El Hachem, a Seekonk teenager who moved here four years ago, leaving his mother, two brothers and a sister in Lebanon. `` I don't know what to say. In a second, everything has changed. It's upside down.''

El Hachem has not been able to reach any of his family members overseas, because Israeli attacks on Lebanon's main power stations have left much of the country without any power.

It feels to El Hachem and Elkhatibe that their home country is being shut down.

Literally a world away from their family, all they, and many others can do is watch televised broadcasts of the violence and wait.

Elkhatibe's family lives in Sidon, about 22 miles south of Beirut, on the shoreline where Israel has blocked sea ports. At least three ships carrying fuel to Beirut were stopped. The Beirut airport also has been the site of missile strikes.

`` It's tough for them,'' Elkhabite said. `` What they (Israelis) are doing, hitting the infrastructure of the country is not fair. To hit villages, cities and airports has nothing to do with the military.''

El Hachem, meanwhile, is trying to concentrate on his life here, doing things most other teenagers are doing in the summer -- finding a job and filling out college applications.

He lives here with one sister and his brother-in-law, so he has some family. But it is little help, he said, when he thinks of his mother. `` My mom is there,'' said El Hachem, who graduated from Seekonk High in June. `` I can't even reach her and it's getting worse and worse. I'm by myself here, and I'm completely lost.''

Also on their minds is the Bush administration's support for the Israeli strikes, with a warning that Israel should try to limit civilian casualties. Other world leaders, including many in Europe, have criticized Israel, calling its response to the kidnappings too harsh.

`` It's very important to let the American people understand, there must be a peaceful resolution, if our government is serious,'' Elkhatibe said. `` Civilians have nothing to do with what politicians or military force, and (Israel) gets support from our government. It's a double standard.''

Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.