The seller at the Lebanon Library, a bookshop in the heart of Al-Hamra Street, Beirut, posed for a moment before answering a question by a customer about a book entitled The Tragedy of Al-Zahraa, a seminal two-part publication by Jawad Al-Amali. "You know, it will be difficult to find since most of the bookshops in Al-Dahiya district have been flattened by the Israeli war," she said. "But give me a couple of days to ask, maybe we can find it for you." Two days later, the answer was a flat no. The reason: Dar Al-Mahjaa Al-Baydaa, the print house that published the book, was razed to the ground by heavy Israeli bombardment of the southern parts of Beirut.

Al-Ahram: A little remarked consequence of Israel's war on Lebanon is the destruction of culture.