Skip to main content

Through the lens of war: Revisiting Lebanon’s civil conflict

1 min Bruno Finel

Nearly 50 years ago, one of the most violent conflicts in the Middle East erupted in a country once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East.” 

Looking back today, Baz describes his images not just as documents of violence, but as fragments of collective memory © Patrick Baz

Looking back today, Baz describes his images not just as documents of violence, but as fragments of collective memory © Patrick Baz

Nearly 50 years ago, one of the most violent conflicts in the Middle East erupted in a country once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East.” 

Lebanon’s civil war, which began in 1975, would last 15 years, claiming more than 150,000 lives, displacing around 800,000 people, and leaving deep scars on a society grappling with fractured identities, beliefs, and memories.

Decades later, renowned Lebanese photographer Patrick Baz revisits some of his most iconic images from the conflict. Published by Dazed, the photographs offer a stark and intimate return to a war that reshaped Lebanon and its people.

Baz’s work captures more than destruction. His images freeze moments of fear, resilience, and uneasy normalcy amid chaos: civilians navigating ruined streets, militiamen caught between youth and violence, and a city split by invisible yet deadly lines. 

Shot at great personal risk, the photographs reflect the confusion of a generation growing up with war as a daily backdrop.

Looking back today, Baz describes his images not just as documents of violence, but as fragments of collective memory. They raise difficult questions about identity, belonging, and how a society remembers a conflict that officially ended in 1990 but whose echoes remain present.

This visual dive into Lebanon’s civil war is both a historical testimony and a reminder of photography’s power to preserve what time and politics often try to erase.

Bruno Finel

Bruno Finel

Bruno Finel is the editor-in-chief of Mena Today. He has extensive experience in the Middle East and North Africa, with several decades of reporting on current affairs in the region.

Related

Lebanon

Israel and Lebanon explore border transfer proposal

Talks between Israel and Lebanon include discussion of a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to hand over some of the territory they have invaded during the war with Hezbollah to the Lebanese military, according to Israeli and Lebanese officials.

Iran

Deal or no deal, stay out of Iran's skies

Airlines should continue to avoid the airspace over Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and remain cautious across the region despite the framework deal between Washington and Tehran, because violations remained possible, the EU aviation safety agency EASA said.

Lebanon

Lebanon's President Aoun: "We will accept nothing less than full sovereignty"

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chaired a high-level meeting Tuesday with Army Commander General Rudolf Hage and members of the advisory team accompanying Lebanon's delegation to the Washington negotiations, as the fifth round of Lebanese-American-Israeli talks enters what he described as a potentially decisive phase.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.