Many months ago I wrote about a popular song by the Lebanese singer Fairouz.
To Beirut – peace to Beirut with all my heart
And kisses – to the sea and clouds,
To the rock of a city that looks like an old sailor face.
From the soul of her people she makes wine,
From their sweat, she makes bread and jasmine.
So how did it come to taste of smoke and fire?
Looking at the top two World Press Photos for the year 2006 invoked the horrific memories of the unnecessary and callous bombardment of Lebanon.
The no 1 photograph shows young, Lebanese driving though a ruined neighbourhood of South Beirut.
AP Photo/Spencer Platt/Getty Images found here
The second photo also recalls the tragic destruction of a city and a country that was recovering well from its previous wounds …
This is an AP photo credited to Davide/Monteleone/Contrasto –found here
These photographs are indeed a stark reminder of what happened in 2006…