November 15, 2024, will be etched in Beirut’s collective memory, when a bomb fell on a residential building in the Tayouneh neighborhood. The event stirred deep emotion among residents and bystanders who gathered around the scene.
In the midst of this tragedy, Associated Press photographer Hassan Ammar produced a harrowing report. As a first-hand witness to the violence, he rushed to the scene in protective gear, capturing every moment with stunning precision.
What makes these images even more poignant is Hassan Ammar’s personal connection to the targeted building. Growing up just a few steps away, he had deep memories of the building that decades earlier marked the front line between Muslim and Christian neighborhoods during the Lebanese Civil War.
But for Ammar, the place also had a more intimate meaning. He had frequented its shops, considered renting an apartment there for its unobstructed view of the nearby park, and even had relatives buried in the adjoining cemetery.
The click of his camera at the precise moment the bomb hit the building froze the moment for eternity. The images captured by Ammar reveal the violence of the impact and the devastation that followed.
The expertise of Richard Weir of Human Rights Watch shed light on the nature of the projectile used, highlighting the risks faced by civilians in such large-scale airstrikes. Every detail revealed by the photographs testifies to the destructive power of these bombs.
This scene is unfortunately not isolated, as evidenced by a similar event that occurred a few weeks earlier in Beirut, immortalized by another photographer from the Associated Press.
In this context of persistent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the death toll is overwhelming. The war has already claimed thousands of lives, including a significant number of innocent civilians, despite warnings from Israeli forces before each strike.
This story highlights once again the devastating impact of armed conflict on civilian populations. Hassan Ammar’s photographs are a stark reminder of the fragility of life during war, and the urgent need to find peaceful solutions to preserve the future of all.
The goal of any reporting, beyond capturing tragic moments, is to provoke deep reflection on the challenges of our time. Tayouneh’s images will remain etched in our memories, testifying to the resilience of the Lebanese people in the face of adversity, and the urgent need to build a future where peace and justice prevail.