Southern Lebanon 2010
Hezbollah Banner
Here’s a collection of images from my trip to south Lebanon, in late March to mid April of 2010. The area I was in is in the Bint J’Beil District, very near to the Israeli border and controlled by Hezbollah. The majority of the population is Shiite Muslim. To those who wonder why I didn’t photograph militia members, soldiers, checkpoints, etc…there’s nothing I could have done that would have been dumber short of wrapping myself in an Israeli flag and slapping mullahs in the street.
Disclaimer: My use of the word martyr does not in any way imply religious belief. The depictions of political and militia propaganda on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only and do not imply sympathy or support for these groups. I have none.
United Nations Peacekeepers (UNIFIL) APC
UNIFIL APC Close-up
Hezbollah Martyrs, Note the Hezbollah "logo"
Martyrs, with both Amal (forward) and Hezbollah (rear) banners flying
Martyr with Hezbollah and Amal flags
Hezbollah Martyrs with flags
Martyred relative of mine (Amal, not Hezbollah)
Israeli shrapnel from aunts home...no shortage of that
Hezbollah and Amal - two great tastes that taste great together.
Disabled Israeli tank
Captured Israeli artillery (Note the Hezbollah billboard and banners)
Disabled Israeli tank with Hezbollah banner
Hezbollah banners (ubiquitous in the areas I was staying)
Hezbollah banners
Hezbollah billboard
Hezbollah "Arch", used to mark entrance into Hezbollah run areas
Martyred Hezbollah Military Commander, Imad Mughniyeh
Hassan Nasrallah (Leader of Hezbollah)
Mughniyeh and Nasrallah
Recognize this guy??? Yep, it's the Ayatollah Khomeini
Ray
April 26, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Very interesting – thanks for sharing -
Trace
July 7, 2010 at 8:43 pm
The landscape reminds me a lot of home. (Sigh)
godlessmonster
July 8, 2010 at 5:45 am
Spain?
Trace
July 8, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Yes, eastern (Mediterranean) coast. Not armoured vehicles (thankfully) though.
godlessmonster
July 8, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I would love to visit that area someday with my kids. Both of my children are fluent in Spanish.
I visited Palma de Mallorca back in the 1980′s and that is all I have ever seen of the region.
Trace
July 8, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Do it! (take them along and make them interpret for you. No translation, no euros!
I grew up in a coastal city in the mainland just across the Balearic Islands. Like in Mallorca we speak both Spanish and Catalan in the region, and also as in the islands, lots of retired northern Europeans (traditionally Germans and more recently Brits).
If you get a chance to go, make sure you visit Madrid (and nearby Toledo) and Barcelona. Andalusia is also (I believe) a must.
oh my, listen to me… I may as well work for the Spanish Ministry of Tourism! Sorry about that.
Maybe one day I will visit “your” part of the “Levant”.
godlessmonster
July 8, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I haven’t been to Europe (as a tourist) in many years, only having passed through en route to the Middle East or to the U.S. from the Middle East.I would love to really spend some time in Spain and in Italy (only Florence and Venice).
I’m thinking about going to Lebanon again in 2012. I’ll probably split the visit up equally between Beirut and my home village in the south. Two different worlds, completely
Proud Kuffar
July 9, 2010 at 6:41 pm
Astonishing! Informative as one could hope for.
godlessmonster
July 9, 2010 at 6:44 pm
Glad you enjoyed the pics!
Margaret
May 18, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Is there a way to find a martyr’s burial site? I’m looking for Houssein Chebli died circa 1992. Amal. Southern Lebanon. Former student of mine while he was briefly attending a high school in NYC. Thank you.
PS: These pictures are enlightening.
thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/
November 10, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Really great pics–not the type you usually see on WordPress (which are mostly “pretty” and not so informative, lol) but that’s what makes them great.
godlessmonster
November 10, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Thanks!