I have been contacted by a reader who claims to be Lebanese with family in Lebanon now. I haven't verified but he sounds legit so consider that when you read his comments about the situation:
It was not surprising that the conflict which started on July 12th between Israel and Hezbollah covered the battlefield and the media. It was only natural that the mainstream media did its best to spin the whole context.
I will not go into the details of the confrontation. For some it is a war between Israel and the West against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East (Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and Mahdi Army) where the real issue is the Iranian nuclear program. For others it is a new phase of indiscriminate Israeli aggression against a country demanding the return of its prisoners from Israeli prisons. Israel is seen as targeting the infrastructure and all the regions of Lebanon.
Israel attacked several targets in Lebanon and the media did its best to convince the viewers of their own point of view.
1) On July 14th an Israeli cruiser was attacked by a land-sea missile. It turned out the missile was a variant of the Chinese Silk Worm type which requires land radar guidance. Two days later, on the 16th Israel destroyed all the coastal radars of the Lebanese Army. Since then the cruisers are still operating on the Lebanese coast. What the media fails to tell is that Hezbollah has infiltrated all the branches of the government including the Army and that it was either receiving guidance help from officers or its members were operating those stations.
2) On July 17th Hezbollah tried to launch its Zelzal (Earthquake) missile from the South Eastern suburb of Beirut. This area is inhabited by Christians and borders the Hezbollah stronghold (Dahiya) and there are also Army bases nearby. Apparently they thought it was safer for them to launch the missile from this area. An Israeli plane spotted the truck and destroyed it. Amazingly the missile launched into the sky and fell nearby (it was shown on Fox). That same day the Army bases were targeted and a dozen soldiers died. It is also highly probable that Hezbollah had access to those bases. All those events were used by the media without any context to make it appear that Israel’s war is against all of Lebanon.
3) On July 19th an Israeli plane mistook a truck with a well drilling boom for a missile on its launcher truck. It was bombed. That truck was parked in a Christian neighborhood far from the Dahiya. Again, the news came out as Israel is now bombing the Christian areas. It should be noted that on that same day there was an attempt for a prison break that was thwarted. Four of the high ranking Lebanese officials who were imprisoned as prime suspects in the assassination of ex-prime minister Hariri almost broke out of jail. Benefiting from the chaotic situation they could easily be taken to a safer place and the whole inquiry (backed by the UN) would be stalled. Hariri was one of the main backers of UN resolution 1559 calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the pull out of Syrian forces from Lebanon.
4) On July 20th the Lebanese minister of Defense said that in case Israel invades Lebanon, the Army has orders to fight alongside Hezbollah to defend the land. Until the 5th of August there is no sign of the Army moving south. It should be noted that all the major Army bases including the ministry of Defense have not been attacked.
5) On July 22nd a TV relay station in the heart of the Christian areas was bombed. Many think that it could be that Hezbollah could have been using the station for its own communications.
6) On July 27th another Army base in the heart of the Christian areas was attacked. That base comprises the emitting antennas of the Lebanon Radio, the official radio.
7) On August 4th, four bridges linking Beirut to Northern Lebanon and all situated in the Christian areas were bombed. They were the last route which could be used to transport any kind of material requiring large trucks from Syria to Lebanon. All major roads and bridges have been bombed in an attempt to stop the flow of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah via Syria.
All those attacks were mostly presented without any context.
It should be noted that the major electrical production and water distribution centers are still operating. Land lines and cell phone lines are still operational.
The Mount Lebanon mountain where the Druze are present is not targeted. The Beirut Central District (which was rebuilt after the war) is still unharmed as are the traditional Sunni and Christian quarters. Concerning the areas inhabited by Shiites, the Hezbollah stronghold, known as the Security Perimeter, which is a gated perimeter has been flattened or gravely damaged. The media often uses footages of this area to show that Beirut has been destroyed. The airport control tower is still intact, while only the runways have been bombed.
There has been lots of talk about the polls among Lebanese (not only Shiites) who say that they support Hezbollah more than before. An American who has been living all of his life in a country where freedom of speech is sacred cannot really grasp the reality of countries ruled by oppression and force. If you were in Lebanon and somebody you have never seen before stops you on the road (or an unknown person calls your house) and asks you about your opinion about the Hezbollah you will never take the risk of really telling the truth. It is strange that many Lebanese politicians who were demanding the disarmament of Hezbollah are now keeping silent out of fear. Even before this chaotic situation several prominent politicians and journalists who voiced their opposition to Syria (and consequently Hezbollah) were assassinated.
RR: I think the bit about the polls is interesting. I had seen these polls and had not considered that intimidation had played into them. I think that is a very good point.
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