Being a special envoy to Lebanon: questions from listeners

Christian Chesnot, senior reporter and specialist in the Middle East, is at the microphone of Emmanuelle Daviet, the Radio France broadcast mediator, to answer listeners’ questions on the situation in Lebanon.

Radio France’s top reporter, Christian Chesnot, returns from Lebanon, where he was during the series of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies targeting members of Hezbollah in Lebanon since September 18.

Since last night, the Israeli army has claimed “major strikes” on “dozens of targets” linked to Hezbollah in Lebanon. And the spokesperson for the Israeli army announced this morning on franceinfo the death, confirmed by the Islamist movement, of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, 32 years old.

Franceinfo listeners question the working conditions in the field for reporter Christian Chesnot, alongside Emmanuelle Daviet, mediator for Radio France.

Emmanuelle Daviet: How do you ensure your safety?

Christian Chesnot: So obviously, we are in a war zone, but it is a war, I was going to say, diffuse, that is to say that the whole country is not under bombs. You have bombings that are targeted, even if there is a lot of collateral damage. You can be in a place where you see Israeli F16s passing in the sky, but there are no bombings.

So security, I didn’t have a bulletproof vest. So these are very targeted things, especially in the south of the country. After me, I obviously avoided going where there were bombings, besides, you don’t have access there since you need an army permit to enter the south.

So precisely, what are the constraints for traveling, listeners ask?

The constraints are to go to the south of the country, so in the hot zone where there is a lot of bombing, you need a permit from the Lebanese army. And I was at UNIFIL in the South. I had to go through a check in Tyre, you have Lebanese military intelligence controlling you. It’s quite tedious. And then, once you pass the check, you can go to UNIFIL, or elsewhere, depending on your reporting.

Christian Chesnot, we know that in Gaza, 100% of the territory is a target. In Lebanon, how is it going?

That’s the difference: Gaza is a very small territory, it’s 360 km2, 20 km wide, 40 km long. Lebanon is much bigger, with large urban areas: Beirut, Saida, Tyre. And so, once again, it’s a war that is volatile. We don’t know where it could happen, you could be in a restaurant and you hear an explosion or F16 passing overhead. So there you have it, it’s really a roller coaster. And so that’s why it’s difficult to manage, because danger can come anywhere, at any time.

Emmanuelle Daviet: As a specialist in the Middle East, Christian Chesnot, compared to conflict zones where you have been able to go, how does this experience in Lebanon differ from previous ones? Does she have any particularity?

Christian Chesnot: Precisely, danger comes anywhere, anytime. There is no warning. Again, you’re in a quiet interview in a restaurant, and then an explosion in the street. We saw this clearly with pagers and walkie-talkies. People were literally blown up in the streets. And if you are nearby, you can be a collateral victim.

So when you are in the south, there are special precautions with UNIFIL, sometimes a bulletproof vest, there are alerts, we are a bit on the alert. But when you are in Beirut, for example, nothing protects you against a risk. The only problem is going, for example, to the southern districts of Beirut, the stronghold of Hezbollah. You cannot go there without authorization from Hezbollah. That is to say, you should not walk around like that, with your microphone in the street, you are immediately stopped and questioned, etc. So there, to go and report in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, you have to go through their press service and be accompanied so as not to go there alone.

So, when you are with your microphone, getting the Lebanese to talk about Hezbollah, is it a difficulty or not?

Yes and no. At the moment, there is psychosis and stress in Lebanese society, with everything that happened, the bombings, the explosions in the streets, etc. So it depends who you’re talking to. If you talk to people who are supporters of Hezbollah, they will say good things about you, and then you have opponents, so people can talk.

Lebanon is a very free country. There are 17 religious communities, several denominations, etc. You have opponents of Hezbollah among Christians, including also Muslims, Shiites. What is hard is to go to Hezbollah and make those responsible talk, especially at the moment. I had to do reports in Hezbollah strongholds, on Al Manar television, and meet a deputy. Once there were these explosions on the pagers and walkie-talkies, everything stopped, I couldn’t meet anyone. Everyone was underground. And when you want to go see managers or others, it’s almost impossible.