Dahieh

Dahieh (Arabic: الضاحية الجنوبية‎‎ al-Dahiya al-Janubiya, French: Banlieue Sud de Beyrouth, Dâhiye de Beyrouth, meaning "the southern suburb") is a predominately Shia Muslim suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, composed of several towns and municipalities. There is also a substantial Maronite Christian population coexisting in Chyah, Haret Hreik, Bourj el-Barajneh and Hadath. There is also a minority of coexisting Sunni Muslims. They also inhabit a Palestinian refugee camp which has 20 000 inhabitants. It is located north of the Rafic Hariri International Airport, with the Airport Road passing through it. Prior to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, it was a residential area as well as a commercial area with malls and stores. The district is home to many souks. It was also the Beirut stronghold of the Shi'ite Islamist group, Hezbollah, and it had a large auditorium in Haret Hreik where Hezbollah followers gather during special occasions. Rarely, its leader Hassan Nasrallah would be among the guests due to fear of assassination.

The neighbourhood of Dahieh continued to be a frequent target of Israeli jets and warships. The Hezbollah auditorium and residential areas were destroyed according to Lebanese, Arab and western media. Hezbollah's television station, Al-Manar, was also targeted in the area.

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