Once-Thriving Beirut Neighborhood Reduced To Rubble

Once-Thriving Beirut Neighborhood Reduced To Rubble

When will the war crimes in Southern Lebanon end?
These people's crimes, simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(07-22) 04:00 PDT Haret Hreik, Lebanon -- The smell of dust and rubble wafts half a mile away. It is a mixture of pulverized concrete, electrical wiring and asbestos. It burns the eyes and throat.

But the smell is only the first sign that something is terribly wrong, a prelude to the sights of devastation.

Last week, this was the most densely populated neighborhood in south Beirut, a crowded swath of apartment buildings known as the "Dahiya," or the suburbs. It is the Shiite Muslim heartland, and the place from which Hezbollah draws its most loyal support.

And the general feeling of many in the region towards the U.S. and Isreal amongst the conflict..

Then, suddenly, a man emerged from the dark lobby of a building. He attracted the attention of the cameras.

"Let the entire Western world look and see the democracy of Israel and America," he screamed, as cameras rolled and shutters clicked. "Let the world see and judge who is the terrorist, us or them? We're protecting our homes. They're attacking innocent people."

The man, disheveled and sweaty, was wearing a torn white T-shirt. Asked for his name, he answered, "Just say a Lebanese citizen." Later, he gave a first name: Mohammed.

"My house is here," he shouted, pointing to a building with its top floors flattened. "It was destroyed like everyone else's."