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The Southern Suburb, South Lebanon, Destroyed but Standing tall

Fadi Abu Sada

They told us to be at the entrance of the American University of Beirut, exactly 1:30pm; we will visit the southern suburb, which was known as the security zone of Hezbollah, Haret Hreik, which we knew during the last war on Lebanon, which we saw over the days and weeks on television.

My feelings were contradictory, I am happy to be there for the first time, as Palestinian from the occupied territories. I was saddened because I know what is in the mass, which I think is similar to a daily in the Palestinian territories.

Before entering the southern suburb, we passed in front of Sabra and Shatila camp, where the famous massacre took place against Palestinian refugees in this camp. I trembled strongly to the passage there and mention the name of the camp.

The bus brought us to the entrance of the southern suburb, and we look at residential buildings destroyed, and abandoned in the area, until we reached the plaza large empty completely after that have been razed by the Israeli shelling, We have come from the bus and went to the tent erected in the region, where contains two sections for women and men, The exhibition is cartoonist of solidarity with the people of suburb and Hezbollah.

Ghassan Darwish official media office of Hezbollah arrived to show us around in the suburb, specifically the security zone of Hezbollah, We were told that 6000 housing units was completely destroyed during the war., 15000 units partially destroyed.

The Hezbollah security men were present there everywhere, they have tours around us all the time on small motorbikes, They stopped us and asked where we are from, what we are doing here, and apologized to intervene, and asked us to understand the security reasons of doing so.

There were three iron gates in the box empty, Darwish said that it was official entrances to the square security zone, here was the center of the Secretariat of Hezbollah, and Shura Council, Their was the office of Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, to receive his official guests, There was a house Eminence, Mr. Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah has paid 12000 dollars to each family lost their home, in order to be able to rent a house for a year and spreading to facilitate until reconstruction of a new home by the party. because the state did not pay anything until now, an Iranian Foundation paid  6000 Dollars for each family for the furnishing of the house.

Back to the tent after this tour, to find Sheikh Hassan Ezzddin, a member of the political council, the political official of the South Lebanese Hezbollah, He is responsible for all of south Lebanon with regard to political relations with the Lebanese parties and all the Palestinian factions and the Amal Movement and the regulatory body to Hezbollah.
Explain to us the position of Hezbollah from all political developments before, during and after the war on Lebanon, both internal and external, so come to the subject of kidnapping the two Israeli soldiers.

Sheikh Ezzddin said that resistance men captured two Israeli soldiers in a purely military operation, and against the Israeli military. Inside Lebanese territory, considering that it’s their right to do so, when asked why July 12, he said, that opportunity was available on that date only; it is not for any other reasons.

He talked about the cluster bombs used by Israel during the war, which claimed the lives of the post-war 30 dead and 130 wounded. The number of bombs dropped arrived million, two hundred thousand bombs, mostly in the last three days of the war.

He left us to meet Zeinab Safar, the news presenter of Al-Manar television of Hezbollah, which broadcast the latest news bulletin during the war, while the Israelis were shelling of the building.

She showed us around in what was at the television, which consisted of seven floors, including two underground. She told us that, during the heavy shelling that destroyed the building were fully present more than 20 employees on the ground floor, When trapped by the intense bombing them, they left the building through air conditioning and ventilation openings.

We left the southern suburb full of emotions and feelings, especially the intensity of the devastation seen, the reaction war machine in the destruction process.

 The other morning we left Beirut to the south of Lebanon, After a tour in the villages of the south, All I wanted to say is that, despite the tremendous damage and bombs of different kinds, you can easily feel how standing tall they are, and their strong belief and faith in victory, and that is not necessarily religious creed, but faith to triumph over all the so-called occupation.