Ad celebrating Lebanon’s army day criticized for using image of Israeli soldier

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A screenshot of the deleted tweet by Virgin Ticketing Box Office with an image of an Israeli soldier looking through a pair of binoculars. Photograph: Virgin Ticketing Box-Office/Twitter
A screenshot of the deleted tweet by Virgin Ticketing Box Office with an image of an Israeli soldier looking through a pair of binoculars. Photograph: Virgin Ticketing Box-Office/Twitter

An entertainment company in Lebanon has apologised after publishing an ad paying tribute to the country’s army that featured an Israeli soldier gazing through binoculars.

Israel fought three major wars against Lebanon, invading the country’s south in 1978 and again in 1982, before withdrawing in 2000 under pressure from the militant group Hezbollah. In 2006, the Israeli military once again clashed with Hezbollah, destroying much of Lebanon’s infrastructure in the brief campaign. The two nations are still technically at war.

The ad, which was posted on social media accounts of Virgin Megastore’s Ticketing Box Office, was quickly withdrawn after being widely mocked on Twitter and Facebook. It featured the image of a soldier in binoculars surveying the wilderness, with the tagline: “Keep your eyes on us, o hero.”

After Facebook users mocked the company’s apparent belief that it was being targeted as part of some sort of conspiracy, the firm operating Virgin’s Lebanese social media account said in a statement: “We … apologise for the image that was wrongly published and we regret the systematic campaign that is targeting us as a result of this image whose intention was to celebrate the Lebanese army on its anniversary.”

It concluded with an oblique condemnation of those it accused of “questioning our patriotism”, declaring that: “Great people plan, big people lead, heroes are victorious, and cowards take advantage, long live the Lebanese army and long live Lebanon.”

The Lebanese army is seen as one of the last remaining neutral institutions in a country suffering from chronic government deadlock and enduring sectarianism, and where public opinion of the civil war in neighbouring Syria is sharply polarised.

The Guardian

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37 responses to “Ad celebrating Lebanon’s army day criticized for using image of Israeli soldier”

  1. “Israel fought three major wars against Lebanon…”

    Israel never fought a single war “against Lebanon”. The Lebanese Army fought, rather half-heartedly, against the newly established State of Israel in 1948, in the Battle of Malkiya. That is probably the single military victory it can boast of during its history (the Lebanese did manage to capture the village and even held for about a month). 🙂

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Let’s just say the Lebanese Army never attacked any country, and leave it at that.

      1. It attacked Israel and even won a victory! Can’t you read? Stop disparaging its battleground prowess!! 🙂

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          That was one city (town) it probably thought it had country-folk in, and the ‘newly established’ was certainly not what it was supposed to be, or is today.

          1. Oh Yeah Avatar

            That was a poor explanation, anyone can find on Wikipedia that the combatants were Israelis and the Lebanese army commanded by then Lebanese minister of defense, Emir Majid Arslan II.
            The Lebanese army would occupy the village for a month.
            This was the only time Lebanon directly participated in the war.

            As a result of the war, the village (not a city/town) was depopulated.

          2. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Matrix- Oh Yeah, read Wikipedia..

          3. They also read the Talmud every day, before going to sleep.

    2. “Israel fought three major wars against Lebanon…” and lost them all.

      1. Rudy1947 Avatar

        Israel fought 2 battles with the PLO and one with the Hizzbillies. None were with the Lebanese Army and none were lost.

    3. Read the following version of the Battle of Malkiya. https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A9_%28%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86%29

      The paradox is that every one refers to Wikipedia’s information without knowing that it’s totally different I different languages…..

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Yup … like this one …
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Malkiya
        Or maybe …
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Malkiyya

        SURE was ‘far inside’ Israel, wasn’t it?? :-)))))))
        “Al-Malikiyya changed hands no fewer than five times between May and October 1948”
        And where is that ‘Blue Line’ now??

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          Nobody speaks about it, but New Israel also reached the Litani river, occupying 13 Lebanese villages on its way. Lebanon didn’t only lose Galilee in the war. Lebanon lost a part of its south, too. Which is very interesting, because it was the only Arab country other than Palestine in 1948 to suffer territory losses. Eventually the IDF retreated back to the border after the ceasefire of 1949, but the result was clear. Lebanon lost the war, and was even the biggest loser among the neighbouring Arab countries.

          1. “Nobody speaks about it”

            The dumb moron lives in her own imaginary world. In reality, all serious historians of the War (I mean first and foremost the Israeli ones) “speak” about it, at least in passing.

        2. Slippery slope of ignorance leading down to the bottomless pit of stupidity.

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Madman on the loose..

          2. You see, when you try hard enough, you can even sound (almost) literate. Or did you copypaste this one from somewhere, too? 🙂

          3. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Obsessive mad Zionist troll stalking on YaLibnan

        3. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          If the Lebanese spoke of the 1978 or 1982 invasions, it can be understood because the IDF was led out in 2000.
          So if it’s about praising courageous soldiers..saying that Lebanon defended the town, while the town with six other disputed Palestinian-Lebanese villages (Nabi Yusha, Tarbikha, Saliha, Ebel Al-Qamh, Qadas, Hunin) are now part
          of Israel, and while the IDF occupied 13 other Lebanese villages. On the map, the Israeli names of towns appear and reached Litani, is like loss of glorious story.

      2. Dunno why you chose the Arabic version. Usually the value of Arab sources is limited to showing what the writers think/believe. They are mostly worthless at showing what actually happened.
        As to Wikipedia, it should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s a good starting point. German and French Wikipedias tend to be quite trustworthy on matters pertaining to their respective home countries (the same applies to the Hebrew version). The Hebrew entry on the Battle of Malkiya is indeed quite good, with some nice period photographs.

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          “with some nice period photographs” of the original 300 indigenous peoples and their olive trees, I’m sure, at least from Ottoman times.

          1. Sarcasm + knowledge = power (or at least effective trolling).

            Sarcasm + ignorance = rather pathetic idiocy. Choose this road at your own peril. 🙂

          2. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Hind provided the map, ignoramus. But here’s a bunch more from the various periods when Israel was trying to get a third of Lebanon … and I was in Tyre when your ‘movable blue line’ was there with it’s UN post, having lunch with one of the Lebanese who’s homes had been ‘declared by Israelis’ to be unfit to live in, after other ignoramuses had cracked it by totally bombing out the house next door. (yes, one part had a slight slant to the floor, but the OWNER had patched it up since, typically, there was nothing else offered to him…)
            https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8o45c6RXgDwA7f6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTIybGNhaW41BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM5ZTg0ZWNlNTQ2OWE2ODliMjBlNjQ0ZmZjYjJiNDIwOARncG9zAzUEaXQDYmluZw–?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3DLitani%2BRiver%2Bpolitical%2Bmap%26fr%3Daaplw%26h%3D259%26tt%3DTwelfth%2BBough%253A%2Bup%2Bto%2Bthe%2BLitani%26w%3D375%26imgurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F_0aKgZckokCU%252FTHLZdacNsGI%252FAAAAAAAAB2M%252Fc1ebYDXvC9g%252Fs1600%252Fblueline.jpg%26rurl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftwelfthbough.blogspot.com%252F2010%252F08%252Fup-to-litani.html%26turl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fts3.mm.bing.net%252Fth%253Fid%253DOIP.Mda6be3ed8adc1f9c65ea39048323f357o0%2526pid%253D15.1%2526rs%253D1%2526c%253D1%2526qlt%253D95%2526w%253D172%2526h%253D119%2523inline%26tw%3D172%26th%3D119%26sigr%3D11qc9iopn%26sigi%3D12llh6gu2%26sigt%3D10v654ndt%26sigit%3D13gk2vvv2%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D5&w=156&h=282&imgurl=radioislam.org%2Flebanon%2Fwater_wars%2Fimages%2Fhumphries_02.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radioislam.org%2Flebanon%2Fwater_wars%2FBreaching_Borders.htm&size=11.5KB&name=The+Zionist+%3Cb%3Emap%3C%2Fb%3E+presented+to+the+1919+Paris+Peace+Conference.&p=Litani+River+political+map&oid=9e84ece5469a689b20e644ffcb2b4208&fr2=&fr=aaplw&tt=The+Zionist+%3Cb%3Emap%3C%2Fb%3E+presented+to+the+1919+Paris+Peace+Conference.&b=0&ni=280&no=5&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=122cqqdh5&sigb=1hupuas5k&sigi=11pk5mo7h&sigt=124s4aq6j&sign=124s4aq6j&.crumb=ButFIxZV25f&fr=aaplw

          3. I’m touched by your story, whatever its relevance might be to the specific issue at hand. Calling me an “ignoramus” in the context of a matter you had no knowledge of before I mentioned it is a case of a very non-Jewish chutzpah, pal. And of course, my comment addressed you, and not your platonic lover. Her problem is not ignorance, by the way, but rather hateful idiocy.

          4. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            You call me a pathetic idiot, and sometimes I feel a similar response is the only way to obtain a bit of respect for an old fart.

          5. I did call you an old fart (many times), and made some references to your senility. All this is not meant to be hostile, but rather to activate your untapped potential. Calling you a “pathetic idiot”? Hardly. I just warned you (once) of the danger of becoming one. By the way, all that effort is due to the fact that you are a kind of a patriarch of this site. Although I tend to subscribe to the maxim “you don’t have to be old to be wise”, I am also a sucker for tradition, and tradition does say that seniority deserves respect. Hence my repeated attempts to keep you off the crooked path. 🙂

          6. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Y K agressive old fart…
            “a soldier is a soldier in Israel”

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MWiPhRylGg

          7. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            ‘Y K – 5thDrawer • 14 hours ago
            Sarcasm + knowledge = power (or at least effective trolling).

            Sarcasm + ignorance = rather pathetic idiocy. Choose this road at your own peril. 🙂
            • Reply•Share ›’
            Hillarious copy past of a troll

        2. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          Dunno, since it’s founding Wikipedia is edited, revised or deleted.
          ‘Systematic gatekeeping for Jewish interest on Wikipedia’
          https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Wikipedia/Hasbara

          ‘First Ever: Zionist Wikipedia Editing Course’
          http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/139189

          ‘The Right’s Latest Weapon: ‘Zionist Editing’ on Wikipedia’
          http://www.haaretz.com/the-right-s-latest-weapon-zionist-editing-on-wikipedia-1.308667

          1. Yes, Dumbyad, the Wikipedia (not the Arabic version, of course, nobody cares about that one) is run and controlled by Jooz, just as everything else is. Time to acknowledge this fact, give up and kill yourself already. 🙂

          2. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Kill myself ? Wikipedia is the new Babel Tower..old fart 🙂

          3. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            Here’s some ‘more direct editing’ …
            http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.735356

          4. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            This is Israeli Big Editing moles in British Government..scary,
            if there was to be an inquiry someone will die in mysterious circumstances..like “others”.

          5. Kill yourself for humanity, sweetie. And for the ozone layer.

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    A soldier is a soldier is a soldier. No specific ‘signature or face’ on that.
    Small ‘oopsie’ of the modern publishing world again, where ‘images’ are grabbed from ‘Stock’ piles of soldier pics, but no-one reads the history of it, or ‘proof-reads’ for veracity.
    Same thing happens with airplane pics.

    1. “A soldier is a soldier is a soldier”
      Well, not to the Lebanese. You know, the state of war, boycott laws, all that crap.
      And yes, it is a case of extreme sloppiness and stupidity. People have zero knowledge of most basic facts and even less inclination to check them. Just slap the first picture that turned out on Google on that billboard and let’s call it a day!

      1. And you are such an angry midget…keep jumping and moaning monkey. You will accomplish nothing but vent your blind hatred.

    2. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      Good news. Lebanese Army captures ISIS terror masterminds near Syrian border. Beirut, Lebanon (7:45 A.M.) – The Lebanese Army captured the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham’s (ISIS) two terror plot masterminds near the Syrian border on Thursday.
      According to the Ministry of Defense, the Lebanese Army arrested the infamous ISIS terrorists, Samih Breidi and Tariq Fleiti, after a brief firefight in the ‘Arsal Barrens region of the Beqa’a Gouvernorat. .

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