The Lebanese/Israeli Border

As promised yesterday, here are my photos of the Lebanese-Israeli border —- a renewed hot zone in the Arab-Isareli conflict. If you want more complete descriptions of what’s going on in this region and what some of these pictures are all about, read yesterday’s article No Peace Without Syria.
All photos shown below were taken inside the Hezbollah-controlled zone in South Lebanon.

Like I said in the article, you can walk right up to Israeli houses without leaving Lebanon. This town pictured above, Metulla, is inside Israel. Look closely at the bottom of the picture and you can see the little fence that demarcates the border.

That house is inside Israel. Hezbollah controls the territory I stood on when I snapped the picture.

Everything you see in this picture is inside Israel, taken from a Lebanese road along the fence.

Here’s how crazy the border is. The town in the foreground is inside Israel. The town in the background is in Lebanon. You might think you would have to stand inside Israel to take a picture such as this one. How else would you get a picture of a Lebanese town behind an Israeli town? But you can, because I did. That Israeli town is inside a “penninsula,” or a finger, that juts into Lebanon. It is surrounded by Hezbollah-controlled territory on three sides.

Iran’s dead tyrant Ayatollah Khomeini makes repeated appearances in the south.

On the road beneath Beaufort Castle, which looks down into Israel, the story of suicide bomber Haitham Dbouq is told next to his portrait. “Haitham stormed into the convoy — that had 30 occupation troops in its ranks — blowing up his car amidst the vehicles that turned into fireballs and scattered bodies on the ground. Thirty Zionist casualties was the size of the material shock that hit the occupation army; the morale shock was much larger and more dangerous.”

Portraits of “martyrs” killed in battle with Israel line the streets and the roads.

Hezbollah says they love peace. Yet they erect billboards like this one all over the south.

The border. Israel is on the left side. Lebanon is on the right side.

The road pictured above is inside Lebanon. The scenery in the background is all inside Israel.

Walking toward Fatima’s Gate, the place where tourists from all across the Middle East go and throw rocks into Israel.

The old Israeli custom’s house at Fatima’s Gate. It was open five years ago when Israel still occupied South Lebanon. Lebanese commuted to jobs inside Israel through this gate. It has been closed since 2000.

Israel through the fence near Fatima’s Gate.

”Monuments” of sorts to the two Satans. The United States is the Great Satan. Israel is the Little Satan.

Here is where you donate money to Hezbollah’s charity operations.

Here is where you donate money to Hezbollah’s military operations.

Near the entrance to Khiam prison. Until the year 2000, the prison was run by the South Lebanese Army, a Lebanese Christian ally of Israel, inside the occupation zone.

Khiam is a “tourist” destination of sorts. But don’t go there if you aren’t in a grim mood already. It ain’t Disneyland.

A lovely exercise yard at Khiam.

This ought to be self-explanatory.

The Alawite village of Al-Ghajar. This is where last week’s round of fighting erupted. The left side of the village is in Israel. The right side of the village is in Lebanon. Both sides of the village formerly belonged to Syria.

The Israeli side of Al-Ghajar. The Lebanese side is a wreck. I mistakenly neglected to take pictures of it.

The tomb of the disputed dead man. Lebanon says Sheik Abbad is buried there. Israel says, no, Rabbi Ashi is buried there. The border runs right down the center of his tomb. That’s an Isareli military compound just on the other side of it

On the right side is an Israeli listening and watch post. On the left side is Hezbollah’s feeble imitation.

This billboard was erected by Hezbollah three feet from the border. The text is in Hebrew, and it faces directly into Israel. It says: “Sharon Don’t Forget. Your Soldiers Are Still in Lebanon.”

Look closely. That’s a severed Israeli head held up by its hair.

Hezbollah places military museum pieces all over the towns in the south just to show it off.

Children play on one of the tanks.

A blasted truck placed ten feet from the border.

The Hezbollah logo and flag is placed on the front of the truck.