Why isn't Beirut burning in Google Earth?

Bombs have been falling on Lebanon for two weeks now. The news is all over the Web. But, as a generous tipster pointed out: In Google Earth, the skies over Beirut are clear, the grass is green and the buildings are standing.

What' up, Google?

A Google representative said the freshness of the images is solely the responsibility of Digital Globe, the company that provides satellite images to Google Earth. "Google has no editorial control or control over the time line," she said.

She couldn't say how often new images are streamed to Google, but said that, on average, images for any one location are updated every year to 18 months.