I’m going to try to flesh out as best I can a limited picture of what I think Hezbollah is up to north of the Litani in southern Lebanon. Much of this was first reported by Nic Blanford back in February, but to my dismay, has not been followed up anywhere since then, although BBC is reportedly chasing the story as I write this. You can use the map above to follow the places I’m referring to.
The area that is widely believed to be the focal point of Hezbollah’s rebuilding project is a system of steep, wooded wadis east of the Shiite staunchly pro-Hezbollah village of Rihane (Find it in the center near the top of the map spelled Ar Rayhan). Obviously, this is not the only place Hezbollah is working, but it does appear to be one of the most ambitious and visible. One line of speculation goes that this is where Hezbollah’s heavy weapons, long range rockets, and intricate underground bunkers, etc., could be concentrated, while south of the Litani Hezbollah would focus its preparations on lighter arms in urban centers, where they can more easily escape the notice of UN peacekeepers.
Two wadis run north-south and stretch from Rihane all the way east really to the Litani River. Much of the area is a total Hezbollah-declared no-go zone. South of Rihane a road cuts northeast and arks around to the south like an upside down letter U. I got a few hundred yards down that dirt track before I was stopped by a chain connecting a pair of cement blocks and a sign that read “Entry forbidden – Hezbollah area.” Two bearded teenagers, armed with walkie talkies and AK47s appeared out of a foxhole of some sort and ran up to us.
“Who sent you?” they asked. “What are you doing here.”
“Our mistake,” we said, and hurried out of there before they thought to stop us.
The sign is new since last summer’s war, a 19 year old from Rihane told us.
“We used to run around and play in that valley, but now no one can go there,” he said. “There are a lot more areas like that today than there used to be. There is more security everywhere now. The resistance is preparing itself. They’re much more curious than ever before.”
All around this wadi system to the north and east are Christian and Druze villages, but Hezbollah seems to be intent on buying the land and repopulating it with Shiites. Directly east of Rihane is the Christian village of Qotrani (spelled Al Qatraneh on the map). South of Qotrani, find the once-Christian village of Shbayl. Northeast of Shbayl find the Druze village of Al Sreiri (spelled As Suraryri on the map). South of As Surayri find another Druze farmstead Burghoz.
All these villages are poor, in a state of general decline, and were thus unable to resist when a wealthy Shiite businessman named Ali Tajeddine offered to buy their land for two and four times its estimated value. Tajeddine is originally from the village of Hanaouay outside Tyre. He made his money trading diamonds in Sierra Leone before moving back to Lebanon and starting a successful contracting business. It’s said he’s funded by Iran and he’s widely believed to have strong ties to Hezbollah. He is reportedly a key player in Jihad al Binna (the Building Jihad), Hezbollah’s post-war reconstruction outfit.
Qotrani has sold off some 200 to 300 acres to Tajeddine, including just about all of Shbayl, which is technically part of Qotrani.
“They are trying to make demographic changes here. There are new people coming,” Qotrani’s mayor told us. “Shiites have moved here from the south and are living in apartments belonging to Ali Tajeddin, but we’re poor. What can we do?”
At the entrance to Shbayl is where we were stopped by the Shiite agriculture student from Tyre mentioned in the previous post. The village was completely off limits to us but we managed to finagle our way at least part way down the road. There were a dozen or so young mostly bearded men coming and going. There were a half dozen rolls of new chain link fencing lying about. A Volvo station wagon drove in, its roof loaded with wood beams.
Just across the Litani to the east, the Druze village of Burghoz sold off over 700 acres to Tajeddine, who has used the land to build an entire new village called Ahmediya just east of Burghoz but not on the map. It’s a massive development project with 10 Shiite families already living there. A supermarket, a butcher and a shwarma restaurant have already opened for business. All the women are veiled. The project foreman, who moved here with his family from Toura, outside of Tyre after the war, refused to shake hands with women. He spoke effusively of the “resistance” as Shiites commonly refer to Hezbollah. While we were talking to him, two bearded men discreetly photographed our car.
What’s Hezbollah’s game?
That depends on who you listen to and how conspiratorial you want to get. The most straightforward explanation is simply that this is simply a tactical move by Hezbollah, a bid to populate the area around their new military infrastructure with sympathetic Shiites.
There are, however, more sinister accusations. Jumblatt and other Druze leaders have been most vocal with accusations that Hezbollah has a grand plan to Shiitize what was heretofore a mixed Christian-Druze area in an attempt to create a contiguous swath of land connecting the south with Hezbollah’s other stronghold in Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley.
Getting rid of this irksome band of Christian and Druze villages would not only split the Druze off from their ancestral home in the Chouf Mountains, but would also mean weapons from Syria would have unfettered access to Hezbollah in the south without passing through potentially unfriendly territory. See the map below which has been floating around various anti-Hezbollah circles and claims, rather dubiously I think, to depict Hezbollah’s secret plans for a Shiite state inside Lebanon.
Most curiously perhaps, the by far most ambitious road project I witnessed anywhere in Lebanon was in this area in and around Rihan, even though this area was scarcely bombed during last summer’s war. It’s a massive at least four lane wide asphalt autostrade stretching from the Hezbollah stronghold of Nabbatiye north east into the Western Bekaa. There was no comparable road project anywhere in the south that I saw. Every few hundred feet along the new road, banners proclaim the project has been funded by “The Iranian Organization for Sharing in the Building of Lebanon.” It should be noted that similar banners are all over the south, but we were still puzzled by the scope of the project in an area one would have least expected it based on which areas were most damaged last year.
Also, notice the announcement by the Lebanese telecom minister about a secret Hezbollah underground communication network stretching from Zawtar al Sharqieh (find it due south of Nabbatiya on the map) all the way up to the Western Bekaa village of Yohmoor al Bekaa. Evidence perhaps that linking the two regions is indeed tactically important to Hezbollah, but also evidence that the Hezbollah buildup is focused on other areas north of the Litani besides the one I talk about here.
47 responses so far ↓
1 Lewis // Aug 9, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Very interesting post. Clearly indicates Hizbollah’s hostile agenda and complete lack of respect for Lebanese sovereignty.
2 Compulsive Reader // Aug 10, 2007 at 1:06 am
A preparation for an Israeli attack from the east. Strengthening the contiguity of the Bekka and the South. Also, developing an area that has been neglected by everyone, including the Ottomans, since time immemorable. What is so hostile about it? Do you like Israeli bombs? Or would you like to serve tea, Lewis?
3 Compulsive Reader // Aug 10, 2007 at 1:24 am
BTW, I followed you from The Arabist, and you’ve consistently been doing great work. Good stuff, man.
4 Lewis // Aug 10, 2007 at 1:39 am
Compulsive Reader, you should read more carefully:
“All around this wadi system to the north and east are Christian and Druze villages, but Hezbollah seems to be intent on buying the land and repopulating it with Shiites.”
That’s hostile. Hostile towards Lebanon. Israel doesn’t want to occupy Lebanese land. Hizbollah does.
If Hizbollah wasn’t a hostile armed militia, there wouldn’t have been any bombs in Lebanon. Hizbollah started last year’s war, and its continuing hostility will only cause more problems in the future.
“A preparation for an Israeli attack from the east.”
Wow. Check a map. Israel is south of Lebanon. The country east of Lebanon is… Syria. And it HAS invaded Lebanon. http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/bstephens/?id=110010375
But I guess Hizbollah doesn’t mind if Syria occupies Lebanon.
5 Mahmud // Aug 10, 2007 at 2:17 am
^ I think your post is fascinating because it alienates Lebanese Shiite population (within which Hizbollah has overwhelming support) from Lebanese and Lebanon as a whole. You cannot so easily construct what is ‘hostile’ towards Lebanon when the state is incredibly fragmented.
this post makes and excellent point, that rather than a state within a state, Hizbullah has created a state within no state.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/conflicts/middle_east/washington_hizbollah#comments_for_node
There is no functioning, democratic, secular, non-sectarian Lebanese state. Perhaps there was a detente between confessional and sectarian leaders between 1991-2004, but as far as state capacity, an Army that functions or deeper de-confessionalization of the entire political system (which was called for under Taif) its a bit difficult to say that these moves are hostile to the state, rather they reflect what happens when a state does not exist and does not represent the needs of its people for safety, security and equitable development.
Excellent reporting Charles, it would be a strange ‘Shia mini-state’ if that is what they are looking for, because it seems like it could be cut into pieces relatively easily. Could be prepositioning for a breakdown along sectarian lines, in Lebanon (hopefully it doesn’t come to that) and perhaps providing a contiguous area for Shiite to flee to?
6 Compulsive Reader // Aug 10, 2007 at 2:19 am
How do you occupy your own country? Rich people by land for lots of reasons all over the world. And hasn’t Israel invaded Lebanon 3 times in the past 30 yrs? THEY are the ones with hostile intent, sir. Anyway, pardon me for repeating myself from somewhere else, Israel has been holding troop maneuvers in the Golan region. Syria has opened the road leading to the Golan Heights, taking the roadblocks out. Rumor has it that the plan of defense will be ala Hezbollah’s strategy versus Israel last year. Israel has also been holding “emergency meetings” every week for the past 6 re: Syria. If Israel does attack Syria, Hezbollah has to worry about a diverted attack from the east by Israel on their way home, cutting them off from the Bekka and sweeping a ton of fighters into the waiting arms of Israeli troops at the boarder. I don’t deny that Hezbollah wasn’t responsible for intitating the conflict, but Hezbollah IS NOT responsible for the massacre at Qana, and the wholsale destruction of Lebanon. That would be Israels doing. Right? Hezbollah doesn’t have an airforce to do that with. Neither does the state of Lebanon Hell, Lebanon doesn’t even have an Army! Wait, they are still making progress at destroying Nahr-al Bared. Oops. Forgot. One scoop of sugar or two? I read carefully and compulsively, hence the name…
7 Compulsive Reader // Aug 10, 2007 at 2:22 am
Right on about a State within a Non-State point.
8 Jeff // Aug 10, 2007 at 3:08 am
Mr. Levinson:
Is this what you called “chilling”?
I find it “disturbing” perhaps, but “chilling” sounds awfully dramatic.
Other than that quibble, these are two fascinating posts..
9 Jeff // Aug 10, 2007 at 3:10 am
Anybody got any idea, BTW, why “Metulla Airfield” appears on the map as in Lebanon? Did they build an airstrip for that furthest north Israeli town in south Lebanon figuring that the occupation of the area would go on indefinitely? Or what?
10 Fuchsbaunews // Aug 10, 2007 at 4:37 am
“Metulla Airfield” is an old and almost destroyed Vichy-airfield that belongs to Merjayoun. [But Metulla is much closer, so its ok to call it Metulla-airfield.]
http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/images/Fire%20in%20Lebanon%20From%20Distance.jpg
In the back a fire and in front of the fire the old airfield. Closer look: http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/images/Fire%20in%20Lebanon%20Up%20Close.jpg
11 lisoosh // Aug 10, 2007 at 5:15 am
Fascinating reading, I will pass it on to several Lebanese friends to get their opinions. Your description of Hezbollah’s “ethnic cleansing” of the south is actually far more dramatic than anything I have heard before, although several acquaintances have hinted that they believe that hezbollah wants to initiate their own Shia state. To be honest I didn’t take them that seriously, believing that Hezbollah was more interested in gaining control of the Lebanese government.
Where is the UN and the Lebanese Army while all of this is going on?
Stupid question, head in the sands and hoping it will all go away no doubt.
12 Asir // Aug 10, 2007 at 5:15 am
This is all speculation and rumor. Levinson really has no clue to what is going on. He’s just a spokesperson for the Zionist right.
13 Lewis // Aug 10, 2007 at 5:34 am
Compulsive, you point out that Israel has invaded Lebanon several times during the last 30 years, but seem to forget that Syria *controlled and occupied nearly all of Lebanon* for virtually all of those 30 years. That’s quite the selective memory.
If you admit Hizbollah started last year’s war, then you must admit that Hizbollah shares responsibility in provoking the IDF into bombing Lebanon, and the consequences of that bombing.
The way to not to get invaded by Israel is by not threatening or attacking it.
“How do you occupy your own country?”
Ever heard of a civil war? But no, you can’t have, otherwise you would know what your support of a hostile militia means for Lebanon.
14 Don Cox // Aug 10, 2007 at 9:41 am
“How do you occupy your own country?”___By blocking off roads and denying citizens of the country access to large areas.
15 issandr // Aug 10, 2007 at 11:44 am
Considering the destruction that took place last year, isn’t it to be expected that Shia Lebanese might relocate to new areas, especially if they are expecting another war? Of course the choice of places to relocate may be influenced by Hizbullah’s desire to connect the area to the Bekaa Valley as you suggest, or merely provide population centers with a ready-to-go network of partisans along its new fortifications, particularly as having these proved quite effective in last year’s war. This may cause de facto demographic changes to the Litani, but then again so did a war that turned about a quarter of Lebanon’s population into refugees.
16 Charles Levinson // Aug 10, 2007 at 12:15 pm
issandr — Largely agreed. the conspiratorial theories about a sinister shiitization strategy that will complete the shiite crescent linking tehran to bint jbeil and eventually liberate Al Quds, as is being propagated by alarmists like Jumblatt and the like are dubious to say the least.
However, the Shiite transplants that I encountered didn’t seem to be there because they had their homes destroyed in the south or because of other war-related demographic shifts.
Rather, the new Shiite residents in these areas seemed largely to be laborers and their families. The workers building Ahmediyya for example are also encouraged to buy homes in the new village for example. The new residents of Chbail seem to be young military aged males who, judging by their dirt caked nails, are doing some kind of work here.
These new residents are going to have a strong attachment to their new homes as literally they’ve helped build them from the ground up. They will know the lay of the land because they will have been living there, and working there, presumably constructing bunkers and who knows what else. They will have all the traits that make a guerrilla fighter defending his home turf such a potent foe.
This is exactly what Hezbollah’s driving strength is. Hezbollah’s fighting style, as observed during last summer’s war, depends to a large degree on militants fighting in and defending the terrain and villages in which they live. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with two Hezbollah fighters I did in Srifa in the middle of last summer’s war:
–
Hussein and his comrade-in-arms Abu Mohammad explain how the Shia militants continue to dodge Israel’s wrath and live to fight another day.
“We use local knowledge,” says Hussein. “On the radio, we talk about a certain tree or a certain cliff. How will the Israelis understand that?”
Hussein and Mohammad, not their real names, have grown up together in these villages, and frolicked in the surrounding hills as young boys.
In their current struggle, this shared history of fellow soldiers is a powerful weapon that helps them evade Israeli intelligence, they say.
“For example Haj used to love someone about 20 years ago,” says Abu Mohammad. “So I’ll tell him, ‘Haj, go and meet me at the house of the girl you used to love, who melted your heart.”
–
So if Hezbollah is intent on defending its new fortifications north of the Litani, then populating the area around those fortifications with fighters and other loyalists must be an integral part of that strategy.
17 “Warning. Access to this area is forbidden. Hizbullah.” « Online Conversations // Aug 10, 2007 at 4:31 pm
[…] Charles Has an article up about the revelation that Hizbollah is apparantly building what appears to be a superbase and long range missile firing center above the Litani (and out of the watchfulish gaze of UNIFIL troops in Hizbollahs traditional stomping grounds). The area that is widely believed to be the focal point of Hezbollah’s rebuilding project is a system of steep, wooded wadis east of the Shiite staunchly pro-Hezbollah village of Rihane (Find it in the center near the top of the map spelled Ar Rayhan). Obviously, this is not the only place Hezbollah is working, but it does appear to be one of the most ambitious and visible. One line of speculation goes that this is where Hezbollah’s heavy weapons, long range rockets, and intricate underground bunkers, etc., could be concentrated, while south of the Litani Hezbollah would focus its preparations on lighter arms in urban centers, where they can more easily escape the notice of UN peacekeepers. […]
18 Solomon2 // Aug 10, 2007 at 5:54 pm
The idea behind this super-protected firing zone seems to be to deny Israel and the West the option of responding against military targets only, ensuring that any effective response can only come at the expense of Lebanon’s civilian population. More than that: it can only come at the expense of Lebanon’s non-Shia population.
In other words, the entire project is meant to compel Lebanese to subscribe to Hezbollah’s Israel-killing purposes: “Throw in with us, because when the firing starts, they’ll only be able to kill you, not me, and the only way you’ll be able to convince them to stop killing you is if you bargain with me.”
If the initiative remains in Hezbollah’s court, I see no reason why Hezbollah won’t succeed at weaving the rest of Lebanon into this nightmare. There is plenty Lebanon’s Western-oriented leaders can do to frustrate Hezbollah, but my bet is they aren’t going to do it.
19 tsedek // Aug 10, 2007 at 8:04 pm
As I see it, the only thing one can say for sure is that the Hizb is really expanding their presence over Lebanon. Wouldn’t be such a bad thing if at least they wouldn’t close off their areas. But since they do, it is very clear that there’s a reason why this whole project is going on.
20 Kebz // Aug 11, 2007 at 9:17 am
Meanwhile the real sinister developments regarding actions of Israel go unreported. This from Gideon Rachman:
” Even some members of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority argue that Mr Abbas is likely to be offered a deal that he can only refuse. One prominent Fatah member predicts gloomily: “We will be offered a state within the borders of the Israeli security wall, which will mean losing huge parts even of the West Bank. The Israeli settlements will stay. Our borders will be controlled by Israel. We won’t be allowed an army. There will be no right of return and the Israelis will effectively take over Jerusalem. This will be presented as a temporary arrangement. But the temporary would become permanent.” Mr Abbas’s allies say that it would be political suicide for him and for Fatah to accept a deal like that. Hamas would take over the Palestinian cause by default.
When I put this scenario to a senior Israeli official in Jerusalem last week, he replied: “The Palestinians are being over-optimistic. They are not going to be offered even that.”
21 Abu Muqawama // Aug 11, 2007 at 9:26 am
Charles,
I spent all yesterday driving up and down that road being built north of the Litani. Goodness. If you’re going to hide the defensive fortifications you’re building, a massive Iranian public works project is a good way to go about it. I don’t know if you saw, but all kinds of new roads branch off from that larger road. Where do those roads lead? Who knows. Some of the areas have been marked “military areas” and are off-limits. I’ll be posting on this later, but for the moment, I just want to confirm what you’ve written here and what Nic reported. I did not expect it to be so, well, blatant, but there it is.
22 Don Cox // Aug 11, 2007 at 10:08 am
“There will be no right of return”____Did anyone ever think for a moment that there would be? Israel obviously cannot accept an influx of Palestinians into Israeli territory, at least not this century. Demands for a “right of return” can only be the common gambit of demanding the impossible. It would be like Israel demanding the right of a million Jews to return to Baghdad.
23 Kebz // Aug 11, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Perhaps the people who lost their land and houses do. Why should it be impossible except in the mind of those who want to cement the bloody ‘achievements’ of ethnic cleansing in stone? If it is possible to try and lure every Jew on earth to Israel and the West Bank with massive bribes, it is possible to at least compensate those who were innocent victims of zionism. Furthermore, why should anything prevent them from returning to any Palestinian state?
24 anon // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:09 pm
The UN partition vote of 1947 was designed to compensate those who were innocent victims of Nazi Germany. If you wish retroactively to dismantle the state that was their compensation, you will have to come up with something else of equal value to replace it.
25 anon // Aug 11, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Well I’m a Jew and I personally have received no offers of bribes whatsoever to emigrate to Israel. Let alone massive ones. No representative of the Israeli government or indeed anyone else has ever contacted me with a view to offering me anything, let alone a massive bribe. Could you let me know the exact size of these ‘massive bribes’ and where I might apply for them, if they are indeed as a massive as you say.
26 Kebz // Aug 11, 2007 at 4:45 pm
You can’t compensate somebody by robbing land of somebody else and giving it to them. Why should Palestinians pay for the crimes of Germans? Olmert recently offered $60000 to Iranian jews to emigrate to Israel but they refused. Many others have received financial inducements too. Settlers receive a lot of financial inducements and tax rebates to take up residence on Palestinian land. Those tax rebates alone total $106 million in the Israeli budget. There is also financial assistance from christian fundamentalists in the USA. Per capita investment in the occupied territories is $1,773 annually. That is almost three times the that spent inside the Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries. Of course not all jews receive financial inducement to move to Israel. Millions fled there from the soviet union and found themselves struggling despite promises from the Israeli government.
27 anon // Aug 11, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Well, I agree that you can’t compensate somebody by robbing land of somebody else, so my point is, once this situation is rectified, what are you going to give the Jews instead? Because obviously if the compensation they were given is going to be withdrawn, they’ll need something else. And that’s going to have to be part of any long-term solution. So what would your proposals be?
You originally wrote: ‘If it is possible to try and lure every Jew on earth to Israel and the West Bank with massive bribes . .’ Now it seems ‘not all jews receive financial inducement to move to Israel’. A little bit of hyperbole there?
28 Kebz // Aug 11, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Past and current policies are not always the same and never consistent anyway. Some obviously didn’t need bribing so common sense. Others are being bribed which you don’t deny.
Perhaps that should be the discussion point. I am not against compensation to people who lose out whatever their colour or creed. Perhaps the 60 odd billions of dollars spent on weapons provided to Israel and other US arab allies could be better spent?
29 tsedek // Aug 11, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Olmert recently offered $60000 to Iranian jews to emigrate to Israel
actually I don’t believe that they were bribed but that this was offered in view of a possible attack on Iran and Iran then not being able to keep his jewish community hostage….
30 Compulsive Reader // Aug 12, 2007 at 5:52 am
Ah, yes. We can’t have the Jewish community hostage, we’ve got Iranians to kill!!! Thats good.
31 Fuchsbaunews // Aug 12, 2007 at 7:34 am
I found a very intresting article about Hezbollah: “Hizbollah buys frontier land to attack Israel”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/12/wmid112.xml
Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557423512&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull and Army Radio spreading it, Haaretz still sleeps.
32 Wow!!! // Aug 12, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Nice work of fiction designed to instill fear and hatred in a population that could do without anymore of this propaganda.
Anyone wonder what is Mr. Charles Levinson’s motives, specially noting that he lives in Jerusalem?
33 Microraptor // Aug 12, 2007 at 12:06 pm
The BBC covered this some time ago in a documentary called “Hunting for Hezbollah” which TX’d in the Uk in April. I know as I produced and directed the film. A longer version is showing on BBC Wold tonight at 17:10 GMT (excluding the USA as it has been sold to a US broadcaster. You can watch the film on YouTube.
34 Microraptor // Aug 12, 2007 at 12:13 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBZczJw3u6w&mode=related&search=
Parts 2 and 3 are linked to the right of this clip. If you want to SEE the area around Rihane/Qotrani watch part 3.
You are not as quick off the mark as you’d like to think Mr. Levinson. Bronze medal for you. I take silver. Blanford is gold.
35 Zibda // Aug 12, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Whatever the nature of Hizbo’s ambitions, the roadworks etc you describe are much needed. I drove that route a few years ago, trying to get from Marjayoun to Jezzine without passing through Nabatiyeh. It took hours, with much time on unmarked dirt tracks, comical detours through chicken coops, etc. Its natural, too, that Hizbo would want a secure crossing of the (very deep) Litani gorge, to link up not just defenses, but for general public use. Have they built a bridge?
36 lally // Aug 12, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Congratualations, Charles. Your Daily Telegraph article, “Hizbollah Buys Frontier Land to Attack Israel”, is all over the Israeli media in one form or another. Arutz Sheva radio even did an interview with a former northern commander about it.
Of course, the DT version of your story isn’t nearly as nuanced as your post here; too bad there is no mention of your blog for those who could benefit from the bigger picture.
However, I shouldn’t be too shocked and dismayed about Hezbollah further restricting jornalists from traveling in their area in the future. Your rather fear-mongering finger-pointing article will only add to the perception that it isn’t in their best interests to have reporters wandering around speculating about developments in the region.
BTW, perhaps you could investigate the idiocy surrounding the put-on-hold plans to build a US Embassy next door to Hezbollah in the Baabda area of Beirut. The American taxpayers spent $22 million to purchase the land and only the stunned outrage of local DOS officials managed to put a (temporary?) hold on the project. A report in Arab News reveals that :
“At one point, the US Embassy refused to allow a State Department official from Washington, James Golden, managing director of the Emergency Projects Coordinating Office, permission to enter the country for the embassy project by denying normally standard “country clearance”. Pretty drastic.
What’s the property being used for at present?
37 Mahmud // Aug 12, 2007 at 9:26 pm
seriously Charles, I love your reporting but what is up with the title on the DT,
(the story itself is excellent but…)
” Hizbollah buys frontier land to attack Israel”
I dunno, your blog posts here have been pretty nuanced, but a title like that is inflammatory, particularly since there isn’t any sort of evidence in either the story or your blog posts that an attack on Israel in the offing.
Fortifications could mean many more things than an imminent cross border raid, they could be for domestic political purposes, it could be a make work project for militia members, as well it could also be in defensive anticipation for the next war with Israel.
Use of the word attack emphasizes that the target is clear, and the methods are also clear. Neither of which (in actuality) are. There are allegations, but I’d like to see more proof before making a statement like that.
Blanford’s article (”Hizbullah builds new line of defense”) which specifies neither the target, nor the intention, has a much more accurate title.
38 lally // Aug 13, 2007 at 6:58 am
In fairness to Charles, the title was likely not of his invention. Reporters aren’t usually given any choice in that matter. Editors can also be problematic.
The cherrypicked DT article is serving as a source for agitprop. Allegations/speculations as to Hezbollahs’ actions and intentions are being reduced to assunptions of nefarious facts on the ground.
39 tsedek // Aug 13, 2007 at 11:31 am
However, I shouldn’t be too shocked and dismayed about Hezbollah further restricting jornalists from traveling in their area in the future. Your rather fear-mongering finger-pointing article will only add to the perception that it isn’t in their best interests to have reporters wandering around speculating about developments in the region.
you mean the IDF should do the same? at least all this demonization would stop then… good advise!
40 lisoosh // Aug 13, 2007 at 4:03 pm
“Blanford’s article (”Hizbullah builds new line of defense”) which specifies neither the target, nor the intention, has a much more accurate title.”
Actually that title specifies and assumes quite a lot - like that the bases, missile sites and the like are for defense.
A truly neutral title would read;
“Assumed Hizbollah Fortifications and Missile Launching Sites Appear to be Under Construction”
But that just isn’t zippy enough for the MSM.
41 lally // Aug 13, 2007 at 7:35 pm
tsedek. The IDF does control the access of reporters and depending on the current situation, demands that copy be submitted to military censors before publication.
Of course this practice is far more common during wartime. Last summer’s coverage of the war was especially sparse on detail because of it but one would rarely see or read the press (especially the American media) reveal the restrictions that were imposed upon them.
(Sometimes the IDF is particularily generous though. Presidential candidate John Edwards told the 7th Herzliya conference about a chopper ride over the northern border to view “Hezbollah rockets”. Evidently, Mr Edwards doesn’t recognize the sovereign borders of Lebanon, either)
Understand that I don’t find restrictions on most of the wartime reporting unreasonable, especially when it comes to discribing exact locations of unguided Katyusha rocket strikes on sensitive facilities, for instance.
I just find all this bleating about Hezbollah restricting access to reporters hypocritical and a bit silly given the context of Hezbollah’s situation. It makes as much sense as the Israeli taunts to Nasrallah about his precautions against Israeli attempts to kill him.
42 Piotr Chmielarz // Aug 13, 2007 at 8:00 pm
In my opinion Hezbollah is the true army of Lebanon this what is called army is nothing more that band who pretty walk during parade and can be use for suppress weak opponents as demonstrator or Palestinian in Nahr al-Balad this camp in north Lebanon they are so heroes when they can humilate Palestinians read what is written in lebanon electronic intifada but when they had to fight with israel army in summer last year this cowards hide as rats. If hereos frm Hezbollah wants to buy this earth in order to prepare new defense line they can do this if they want to repopulate this area with friendly population they can do this. I think that better have friendly population that V column from Druze Jumblatt who betray everyone and who get payment similar as Siniora and Abbas from
american goverment which support israeli aggresion many times on Lebanon as in 1982 and 2006. After this publication about israeli journalist who enter in shiite area with false passports every careful commander of Hezbollah think s that better is not allow man ho has in ID written that he is Charles Levinson enter or this area because in tru he can be for example journalist Ehud Olmert.
43 Fuchsabaunews // Aug 13, 2007 at 8:52 pm
“this cowards hide as rats” - You misunderstood Jan Egeland, Piotr. Egeland called Hezbollah-figthers that used human shields “cowards” and if a organisation operates with a rat-like-tactic its Hezbollah. http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2006/08/we_begged_them_.html [as one example of hundreds of similar reports.]
44 Charles Levinson // Aug 14, 2007 at 6:24 am
regarding headline in Telegraph, I had nothing to do with it and was none too thrilled with the headline myself. I think the above criticisims of it are fair. Thanks Lally for pointing that out.
45 tsedek // Aug 14, 2007 at 10:47 am
Lalla, sure there are restrictions. However, reporters of all over the world were here, and reporting LIVE(!) with the only restriction being that there were no panoramic views so the exact location of katushiyas wouldn’t be disclosed.
46 reliapundit // Aug 14, 2007 at 5:15 pm
check out darius bazargan’s bbc report.
posted article on bbc on 5/17/07
google bazaragan and nectarines
47 Fuchsbaunews // Aug 16, 2007 at 11:25 am
Hezbollah brings Israel war to computer screen - http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16624293.htm
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