As the world focuses on the Middle East crisis, the mainstream media is relying on blogs and videos created by Lebanese and Israeli civilians caught in the crossfire. The International Herald Tribune ran this great story on these maverick bloggers in these wired times.

What is also extraordinary is that Israelis and Lebanese are communicating with each other through technology. Blogs such as Live from an Israeli Bunker, Lebanese Political Journal and Beirut Notes are opening a channel of communication between the two war-torn countries.

I can't speak for the legitamacy of the authors. Live from an Israeli Bunker is a particularly fascinating political read. The about section reads:

A live blog from an Israeli bunker via laptop and wifi. Provides a unique and unprecedented insight into the rapidly escalating situation in the middle east. Experience the events thru the eyes of the people who live them, and perhaps get an idea of how it's really like over here. This is much more human and accurate then the major news channels.

While some chose to vent their frustration with politics, others chose to document things, and share their sense of isolation. Galya Daube, a 15-year- old from Haifa, Israel, uploaded a video clip of herself running though her home and outside toward the family's bomb shelter. Compelling and unsettling stuff.