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Haret Hreik (Arabic: حارة حريك) is a mixed Shia and Maronite Christian municipality, in the Dahieh suburbs, south of Beirut, Lebanon. It is part of the Baabda District. Once an agricultural village, Haret Hreik lost its rural identity due to the wave of refugees from Southern Lebanon who settled in the town and made it another urban neighborhood of Dahieh.[1]
Haret Hreik is located northeast of the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and north of the towns of Laylake and Bourj el-Barajneh, west of Hadath and south of Chyah. The town is the headquarters of the Shia group Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes destroyed the headquarters and civilian homes on July 2006.[2]
2006 Lebanon War
The area was largely destroyed during the 2006 Lebanon War. It was estimated that close to 200 buildings were destroyed in the town during the first week of Israel's attack on Lebanon in 2006, with a total of more than 700 structures destroyed or damaged by the end of the war and thousands of civilians injured or dead, while the international community stood still.[3] The town has since undergone significant reconstruction, replacing destroyed and damaged buildings, with minimal help from the international community.
Culture and education
Haret Hreik houses Umam Documentation & Research, an organization handling extensive archive related to Lebanon's history. Umam also runs The Hangar, a contemporary arts space featuring regular events and exhibitions.
The town also hosts three main libraries with millions of books. The libraries are always crowded with students, readers and researchers from different ages and backgrounds. In addition to that, two main hospitals operate in the area (Sahel General Hospital and Bahman hospital),[4][5] providing services to thousands of residents. The area hosts many cultural activities on regular basis, including shopping carnivals,[6] art contests and cultural talks.
Sport
Shabab Al Sahel FC, a football club playing in the Lebanese Premier League, is based in Haret Hreik.[7]
Notable people
- Michel Aoun (born 1935), President of Lebanon
- Lokman Slim (born 1962), publisher
- Samira Awad (born 2000), footballer
See also
- 2006 Lebanon War
- Targeting of civilian areas in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
References
- ^ Cambanis, Thanassis. A privilege to die: inside Hezbollah's legions and their endless war against Israel, page 146 & 317
- ^ Hizbullah HQ destroyed in Israeli attacks | Israel and the Middle East | Guardian Unlimited
- ^ Lambeth, Benjamin S. Air Operations in Israel's War Against Hezbollah: Learning from Lebanon and GEtting It Right in Gaza, page 175
- ^ "Sahel General Hospital". sahelhospital.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Bahman Hospital". Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ http://www.haret-hreik-municipality.org/?tag=%D9%85%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%82
- ^ يوم, أخبار كل. "اخبار لبنان | حريق في نادي شباب الساحل في حارة حريك". KLYOUM.COM (in Arabic). Retrieved 25 October 2020.
External links
- Google map of Hurat Hurayk neighborhood, Beirut, Lebanon — Satellite photograph of the Haret Hreik neighborhood [Dahieh district], Beirut, Lebanon, before the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict
- High resolution DigitalGlobe photograph of Hurat Hurayk neighborhood, Beirut, Lebanon — Satellite photograph of the Haret Hreik neighborhood [Dahieh district], Beirut, Lebanon, 22 July 2006