Beirut – taste of smoke and fire (Best Photos 2006)

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.

BEIRUT, LEBANON – AUGUST 15: Affluent Lebanese drive down the street to look at a destroyed neighborhood August 15, 2006 in southern Beirut, Lebanon. As the United Nations brokered cease fire between Israel and Hezbollah enters its first day, thousands of Lebanese returned to their homes and villages. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

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 …

Davide Monteleone, Italy, Contrasto
Israeli bombings of Lebanon, July

These photographs are indeed a stark reminder of what happened in 2006…

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