TYRE -- Greetings everyone. I'm in Tyre at the moment, about as close to the front line as you can get if you're not an active fighter. The growl of Israeli jets overhead is constant, as is the whine of the surveillance drones. Every morning since I've been here, I've heard the thump-thump sound of the pamphlets being dropped by jets.
To the south, along the curve of the coast, Hezbollah is launching Katyushas, but I'm loathe to say too much about them. The Party of God has a copy of every journalist's passport, and they've already hassled a number of us and threatened one.
Most villages across the south are now inaccessible because the Israelis have turned many of the roads around the cities into kill zones. Two ambulances were hit Sunday night. Last night, the Israelis hit the United Nations post at Khiam, site of an infamous prison run by Israel's proxy army during its occupation, the Southern Lebanese Army.
With all that, I'd like to provide some links to recent stories I've done. My internet connection is very bad here, and I'm unable to get online much. My apologies. I'm also not able to get the larger story, as my access to the wires and what's happening is limited. But here they are:
More later, inshallah. I am well, and Tyre would be beautiful under better conditions.
You should name your blog:
Continue your good work. Emmanuel
Chris many thanks for your continued reporting. Just put in a $ contribution also. Please be as careful as possible out there.
great site with good look and information…i like it
I am glad that everything is OK with you!
I am glad that everything is OK with you!
I have been following Back-to-Irag since the “2nd” Iraq war in 2003. I have to congratulate you as one of the most consistent and in-depth web publishers on the matter. You have followed it just as well or better than a lot of major newspapers. It appears you are fast taking on the wider subject of mideast conflict in general. It’s a shame that Back-to-Iraq might be put to rest, as good as it is. But if it must be so, I think your next blog should address the mideast in general, with a title like “Mideast Focus,” “Mideast Observer,” or something of that nature. Wars in the Middle East seem to have a cultural and historical context that make them different than other conflicts in Africa, Southeast Asia, or Europe, for example, and so a title like Warchaser sounds just a bit too general. Just a thought. Anyhow, whatever you call it, good luck with it.
Story in SF Chronicle by Chris:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/07/30/INGA0K5COQ1.DTL
I finally found you…again! I got sidetracked and am happy to be reading you again…
While you’re getting suggestions for re-branding, I think it’d be remiss of me not to suggest “The Kissinger Express,” in reference to an obscure thirty-year-old joke about a trans-Atlantic air route that got the nickname because no matter where you wanted to go, you wound up in the Middle East.
“In Search of Enemies” has a fitting sound to it, too, and several layers of meaning, though it has been used (as a book title) before.
Hezbollah threatened me too. Stay safe, Chris.
Hmmm, its a real shame that this alledged bit of reporting including the links for the Time magazine articles are at best questionable…
Mr. Allbritton! “The Party of God has a copy of every journalist’s passport, and they’ve already hassled a number of us and threatened one”. You should retrieve your journalist’ pass from Hezbollah and burn it and then go back to the proffesor who taught you journalism for some relearning about journalism’s values. By reporting what Hezbollah wants you to report, you basically become one of their hired guns. You and other like you have been exposed and hopefully will be put out of their ways: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YjVlMmRjNDllNzhkZmE1OWM3NmE1OGQ4OGQxMDA1YjQ=
You do know the ambulance attack story is fake?
Great site.