Haret Hreik (Arabic:حارة حريك) is a mixedShia andMaronite Christianmunicipality, in theDahieh suburbs, south ofBeirut,Lebanon. It is part of theBaabda District. Once an agricultural and Christian village, Haret Hreik lost its rural and Christian identity due to the wave ofShia Muslim refugees fromSouthern Lebanon who settled in the town and made it another urban neighborhood of Dahieh.[1]
Haret Hreik is located northeast of theBeirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport and north of the towns of Laylake andBourj el-Barajneh, west ofHadath and south ofChyah. The district is the de-facto epicenter of theShia groupHezbollah. The district was heavily damaged in theJuly 2006 Hezbollah War by theIsraeli airforce that destroyed 640 kilometres (400 miles) of roads, 73 bridges, and 31 other targets such as sea ports,water and sewage treatment plants,electrical facilities, 25fuel stations, 900 commercial structures, up to 350 schools and two hospitals, and 130,000 residences.[2][failed verification]
On 3 September 1985, during theWar of the Camps, gunmen from theAmal militia killed thirteen Palestinian civilians in Haret Hreik.[3]
In July 2024, Israeli military announced that they had targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanderFuad Shukr in an airstrike launched by Israeli fighter jets on a building in the southern suburb of Beirut.
The area was largely destroyed during the2006 Lebanon War. It was estimated that close to 200 buildings were destroyed in the town during the first week of Israel's attack on Lebanon in 2006, with a total of more than 700 structures destroyed or damaged by the end of the war and thousands of civilians injured or dead.[4] The town has since undergone significant reconstruction, replacing destroyed and damaged buildings.
In 2014,Muslims made up 51.52% andChristians made up 48.19% of registered voters in Haret Hreik all Of them live in other areas. 43.47% of the voters wereShiite Muslims, 40.96% wereMaronite Catholics, 8.03% wereSunni Muslims.[5]
Haret Hreik housesUmam Documentation & Research, an organization that archives material related to Lebanon's history. Umam also runs The Hangar, a contemporary arts space featuring events and exhibitions.[6]
The town also hosts three main libraries. In addition, two hospitals operate in the area (Sahel General Hospital andBahman hospital),[7][8] providing services to residents. The area hosts cultural activities, including shopping carnivals,[9] art contests and talks.
Shabab Al Sahel FC, a football club playing in theLebanese Premier League, is based in Haret Hreik.[10]
Media related toHaret Hreik at Wikimedia Commons
