Hezbollah showcases 'divine victory' over Israel
Date : August 10, 2007
One year after its devastating war with Israel, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is celebrating its "divine victory" over the Jewish state with an elaborate exhibition complete with sound and light show.
Set in the southern suburbs of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah, the exhibition showcases seized Israeli weapons, military apparel, pictures and video footage highlighting the "crushing defeat" inflicted on Israel in its 34-day war with the militant Shiite group.
Bunkers surrounded by sandbags, underground listening posts and detailed maps also aim to recreate the living conditions of the militants on the battlefield, as loudspeakers blare out the sound of bombs exploding, machine gun fire and speeches by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Huge photos of US President George W. Bush, his former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Israeli leaders meanwhile stand alongside an American flag with its 50 stars in the shape of bombs and a message that reads: "American democracy, danger".
Throughout the neighbourhood, banners proclaim "divine victory" along with the messages "the era of defeat is over" or "the era of victory is here".
"Our aim is to highlight the truth and show proof of our victory," said Ali Ahmed, a spokesman for the exhibition entitled "Spider's Web", which plays on a popular phrase coined by Nasrallah in which he calls Israel "more feeble than a spider's web".
"We want to set the record straight," Ahmed added.
He said nearly 200,000 people had visited the free event since it opened at the end of July and there are plans to make it permanent, perhaps somewhere in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Israel's war with Hezbollah resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Lebanese civilians, a third of them children, as well as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
It destroyed more than 25,000 homes and 50,000 other buildings, notably in the country's south, before ending with a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 14.
Israel failed in both its stated aims for launching the war: to stop rocket fire on northern Israel and to recover two soldiers captured by Hezbollah in a deadly cross-border raid.
"For the first time in its history, Israel was defeated during that war," said Said Hassan Srour, 56, a butcher, as he toured the "Spider's Web". "Nasrallah is like God to me. He is honest and he loves his people."
A guide accompanying a group of men, women and children proudly tells his audience that the Israeli weapons on display were but "one percent of the amount of weapons seized by Hezbollah."
Nearby, a months-old baby girl begins to cry as her mother encourages her to watch a light and sound show that consists of a six-minute video of war footage. Below the screen, in a pit, is a smoking Israeli tank with a dummy of a dead Israeli soldier.
"We have no assurance that Israel won't start the war over again," says Abu Ahmad, who claims to be a Hezbollah fighter, as he points to other military equipment on display.
"So we are ready, we have weapons," he adds. "We are present all along the border and in all villages."
Hezbollah showcases 'divine victory' over Israel
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