Israel’s parting shot

At a sharp turn in the road between the villages of Meiss Al Jabal and Houla along the Lebanon-Israel border, a small patch of scarred asphalt still sparks my memory from a decade ago. May 23, 2000 marked the third day of Israel’s headlong retreat from South Lebanon and the border zone it had occupied for 22 years. The western and central sectors of the zone had already collapsed, with militiamen from the Israeli-allied South Lebanon Army (SLA) fleeing across the border the night before. At around noon, I was watching a procession of captured SLA armored vehicles grind through the nearby village of Aytaroun when I heard my name shouted and saw a familiar face emerge from a shop. It was Abed Taqqoush, a long-time driver for visiting BBC journalists. Abed hurried over, grinning broadly, eyes bulging with excitement. He handed me a can of Pepsi and slapped me