Travel vlogger Nick (Indigo Traveller) made the trip all the way southern-most border between Lebanon and Israel.
Measuring from the Beirut airport, the trip takes around 2 hours without traffic, meaning it can take much longer to get there on a normal day.
Documenting his road trip, Nick took footage of different posters and flags that certainly set the mood for the destination.
He noticed the Iranian flag along with pictures of Iranian generals and leaders, as well as political party posters for the Amal Movement and signs from the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. He even passed by a sculpture of rockets and a hand grenade.
It was clear, the Lebanon he met when he landed in Beirut was long gone. All of these sights served as a reminder that the enemy state was not far off.
Nick mentioned several times in the video that he felt a lot of tension in the atmosphere. “This is one of the most tense borders in the world,” he said, adding to his caption on Instagram that it was also one of the most militarized borders.
“My goal coming here was not to cover the conflict or the many disputes in the region,” he explained in the caption.
“My goal was and is to show the people that call this extremely tense environment home and hear what they have to say. My objective coming here is more to show everyday people than politics.”
And that’s exactly what he did. Besides visiting the border itself, looking over it, and getting stopped by the Lebanese army, Nick spent time talking to people who live along the border.
He was surprised to find that, despite the fact that the locals live with constant uncertainty and fear of a war erupting at any moment, they were just as welcoming and hospitable as residents of other areas in Lebanon.
Watch the full video here: