Via FrenkelX – Israeli headlines Xplained, I came across this DigitalGlobe photo (1.9MB) of Beirut’s Haret Hreik quarter — Hezbollah’s stronghold — taken after the Israeli bombardments of the past forthnight.
Since Google Earth has a similar resolution base image taken on February 15, 2005, I placed this new imagery as an overlay in Google Earth. Here is the KMZ file. The images are taken at different angles and times of day, but the before/after comparison deftly portrays the effect of the bombardment there.
Bear in mind that this is the kind of visual intelligence that all the actors there are privy to: Israel, the US, Iran, Syria, but also the UN and humanitarian agencies, and thus also displaced residents looking to see whether their homes are still standing.
Any idea what the sensored building in the middle of this devastation is? Has white fill over it.
Looking closely, I’m pretty sure it’s not censored, just a bright roof. It’s clearer on the overlay: What you’re looking at is two shallow triangular roofs. On the base layer, you can see their shadows on the north side. Sometimes, it just happens that roofs are smooth surfaces:-)
Thanks for the cross link.
FYI, DigitalGlobe terms allow using the picture as long as it is not done for commercial use.
Itai Frenkel
Note that on this map NORTH is to the left. This area (harek hreik) is about 2km N NE of the Beirut Airport. None of the picture seems to be censored; The red areas are just clay fields