"Spider's Web" … Hezbollah showcases war with Israel

By: Karim Tellawi

BEIRUT, Lebanon: The Lebanese Hezbollah, one year after its devastating war with Israel, is celebrating its "divine victory" over the Zionist 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 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 Bush, his former defense 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 neighborhood, 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.

Since it opened at the end of July, nearly 200,000 people had visited the free event and there are plans to make it permanent, perhaps somewhere in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong presence, he said.

The war resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Lebanese civilians, a third of them children, as well as 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Over 25,000 homes and 50,000 other buildings were destroyed, notably in the country's south, before ending with a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 14.    

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