I Love Beirut!

A sticker in the window seems to engulf the whole city ... (photos by Celine). The last picture is a view from Rawda cafe at the Beirut Corniche.

Byblos

The result of Israel's targeting of the powerplant at Jiye at the early days of the war was an immense oilslick traveling north and polluting most of Lebanon's coastline which will take years to recover fully. The above pictures showing the amount of pollution at Byblos (Jbeil) were taken in mid-October.

Dahieh

The various images from the southern suburbs (Dahieh) of Beirut have become, in a sense, symbols of the vast destruction that Israel imposed on Lebanon this summer. A visit to the suburbs in the beginning of September was an emotionally overwhelming experience.
The first picture shows the centre of Haret Hreik, where the Hezbollah headquarters used to be situated, covered with tonnes of rubble. In the second one we can see what is left from an apartment in a storey-building. The poster in the third picture is from Hezbollah's propaganda campaign. In the fourth picture residents are piling up what is left from their belongings in a small truck (notice the amount of dust evident in the asphalt road). In the fifth one a vendor sells coffee to workers and residents among the rubble. The last three pictures, which personally I find the most disturbing, show residents trying to salvage anything they can from the rubble.

Aitaroun

Graffiti and posters like the one in front of the damaged house outside the village of Aitarun were commonplace throughout the south and Beirut after the cease fire as part of Hezbollah's "Divine Victory" communication campaign.
A mosque reduced to rubble and nearby two men smoking nargileh in front of their van which bears clearly the signs of fighting.

Maroun al Ras

The village of Maroun al Ras, sitting atop a hill at the Lebanese-Israeli border, overlooks both Bent Jbail and Israel. The first picture shows a view of Bent Jbail from the road to Maroun al Ras while the second is a view of the border nearby. This village was also the scene of intense fighting during the war, disturbing evidence of which is the damaged cemetary in the third picture, and was all but abandoned apart from the elder in the last two pictures who stayed there throughout the war (all pictures by Malak).

Bent Jbail

The town of Bent Jbail, proudly proclaiming itself at its entry signposts to be "the capital of liberation", since it was here that the leader of Hezbollah Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah made his first speech after the end of the Israeli occupation in South Lebanon in 2000, probably saw the fiercest fighting during the last war and was literally completely destroyed.
The first picture shows a main road, covered in dust and rubble, a few days after the end of the war (photo by Malak). The rest of the pictures were taken in early September.
An unexploded bomb lays at the edge of the road while nearby two men sit in front of their destroyed shop making the sign of victory as I photograph them.
In the fourth picture Aziza Abbas sits atop the rubble of her house while the last picture shows a school in the town with one of its walls having completely collapsed (many destroyed or damaged schools in the south were unable to open for the new school year).

Aaita ach Chaab

The village of Aita ach Chaab in the southwestern border with Israel was the scene of fierce fighting during the war. Now unexploded bombs can be found in the streets, with children playing among them (photo by Sami), or even inside a ravaged house. In the other two pictures two children pose in the garden of their house while another one stands outside a heavily damaged house with its staircase barely standing.

Saddiqine

In the village of Saddiqine a family is preparing tobacco (its harvest being a very dangerous job now since the fields are littered with cluster bombs).
A wedding dress among the rubble...

Qana

In the village of Qana, on July 30th, most members from two extended families were killed when the house they had taken refuge in was targetted by Israeli bombs. A similar incident occured in the village ten years ago when around 100 civilians lost their lives inside the UN base again by Israeli bombs. The pictures show the destroyed house where the victims were killed, their mass grave nearby, and Ahmad Hachem, who lost all his family (wife, three children, father) apart from one daughter, standing among the rubble of the house.

Qantara

Ali posing inside his uncle's burned house.
In many villages of the south there is a distinct lack (among other things) of medicine and medical assistance in the aftermath of the war. A doctor from the town of Nabatiye came to the village of Qantara and people are waiting to see him.

The Lebanese-Isreali Border Near Aadaisse

I think the contrast could not be more obvious.

Houla

In the village of Houla by the Lebanon- Israeli border an Israeli videodrone (the zeppelin in the top left of the first picture) is constantly filming the movements of the people, including those of the children.

Khiam

The village of Khiam was also almost completely destroyed by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The "Made in USA" graffiti can be found in many destroyed buildings across the south and Beirut. The asphalt is invincible under the amount of rubble and dust in one of the main streets of the village (photo of building by Sami).

Ghandouriye

The village of Ghandouriye saw heavy clashes during the war and was virtually reduced to rubble. The pictures show an Israeli tank left after Israel ended its previous occupation in 2000 and now adorned as a trophy with the Hezbollah flag and the metal poster of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini bearing the evidence of bullets.

Deir Kifa Boxed and Bagged Food Portions

After the cease fire a group of Lebanese and international friends outraged by Israel's aggression against Lebanon decided to launch an initiative of humanitarian assistance and solidarity with the people of the south. The picture shows boxed and bagged food portions from our base in the village of Deir Kifa, distributed to villages.
(Photo by Kirsten)