stevebfotos posted a photo:
Lebanon has suffered from a civil war and a subsequent war with Israel. The latter ended with a cease fire, much like the Korean War, and technically the two countries are still at war. There are occasional skirmishes. The downtown area of Beirut, once a scene of heavy fighting, is adorned with police fortified posts. From these protected positions, the police could maintain control from a protected position and return fire when needed. These structures exist to this day and are maintained in the event they are again needed. The first picture, top left, shows a buidling riddled by gunfire. The 2nd photo shows a heavily armed Lebanese police officer. They are, in a word, everwhere. The security presence is both stifling and yet reassureing. The next 3 shots depict the various styles of fortified positions. The lower left show an armored vehicle. These are deployed all over Beirut and in the outlying areas as well. They are visible in sensitive spots. They are also amassed in numbers just off the main streets for rapid deployment. The bottom right shows a police checkpoint, complete with several reimforced positions and the customary concertina wire. This checkpoint is near the town of Baalbeck, which is the home of UNESCO ruins, as well as a Palestinian refugee camp, the latter being a Hezballah stronghold. It is an area with tremendous potential, great people, and yet lingering regional tensions that can’t seem to be resolved.
