Resistance Land

On a hilltop overlooking Israel’s former occupation zone in south Lebanon, Hezbollah has built what the international press has dubbed the Shiite militia’s "Disneyland." Mleeta, Hezbollah’s new "Tourist Landmark of the Resistance," is designed to celebrate the party’s long war against Israel. As it pulls in the masses, Mleeta also provides another sign that Israeli ...

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Israeli tanks displayed at a Hezbollah tourist site in a former military base in Mlita in south Lebanon. The site was opened to mark the 10th anniversary of Israel's troop withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000.

On a hilltop overlooking Israel's former occupation zone in south Lebanon, Hezbollah has built what the international press has dubbed the Shiite militia's "Disneyland." Mleeta, Hezbollah's new "Tourist Landmark of the Resistance," is designed to celebrate the party's long war against Israel. As it pulls in the masses, Mleeta also provides another sign that Israeli deterrence in Lebanon is disintegrating.

On a hilltop overlooking Israel’s former occupation zone in south Lebanon, Hezbollah has built what the international press has dubbed the Shiite militia’s "Disneyland." Mleeta, Hezbollah’s new "Tourist Landmark of the Resistance," is designed to celebrate the party’s long war against Israel. As it pulls in the masses, Mleeta also provides another sign that Israeli deterrence in Lebanon is disintegrating.

A former Hezbollah command center, Mleeta is located 27 miles (44 km) southeast of Beirut. Built at a reported cost of $4 million, Mleeta attracted over 130,000 visitors in the first ten days following its opening on May 25 — the 10th anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

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<p> Andrew Tabler is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and author of In the Lion's Den: An Eyewitness Account of Washington's Battle With Syria. </p>

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