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Beirut15 July 2006 The recent Israeli attacks in Beirut resulted in this Associated Press photograph in many of today's newspapers. The caption reads: "Isreal yesterday struck a crowded Shia neighbourhood of south Beirut around Hezbollah's headquarters, toppling overpasses and sheering façades off apartment buildings." -- Pierre Bou Karam, AP Take a closer look at the photograph. The building on the left is clearly in a state of construction, not destruction. One can even see the forms in place for pouring the concrete for the next floor. There were no façades. The only damage visible are some broken windows in the office building to the right. Also interesting is that nearly everyone in the photograph is themselves a photographer. Despite this, they still can't get the facts straight. I'm not defending or making light of the attack. It's a complex issue. I don't have enough information to form an opinion one way or the other. The only thing I'm sure of is that I won't get sufficient information from the press. Update: It goes without saying that this post no longer has anything to do with the current situation in Lebanon. Things have progressed far past the point about arguments over a single building. On the other hand, if news of the initial attacks hadn't been exaggerated, maybe the situation would be different now. |