Norway. Scientists hope that by building up his strength in a closely monitored tank, this well will be better prepared for the very long swim home. Bernard smith, al jazeera. Ah and before we go, a quick reminder of the top stories on al jazeera. Theres fury and grief across the occupied west bank after Israeli Forces killed a Senior Commander of the al axa martyrs brigades of Palestinian Armed group, resisting israeli occupation. Ah, thousands of mourners filled the streets of nablus, where you bring him out and i will see was killed alex up mouth as brigades says their response will fit the crime. Once you meet him, they think they kill the, brought him, but there are hundreds if there are millions of brian, every palestinian is right here on the pallets of being counted in kenyas tightly contested president ial and parliamentary elections. The 2 president ial front runners are former prime minister, railer dingo, and the Current Deputy president william router. But voting apathy could be a factor in the race. Powerful explosions of rocky Russian Air Base in the annex crime in peninsula killing at least one person. Several others were injured in the blasts. Witnesses say they heard at least 12 explosions from the saki base on crime is west coast. The Russian Defense ministry has denied that any attack took place. Apartment homes, we have enough ambulances, todays being provided here, and you know, some kind of help to alcholay for the ministry of defense is being provided completely. The pieces could have spread over quite a long distance. Obviously. Now the situation is under control. We will evacuate any residents of the building, which is situated close to the drone. We are reaching out to them, none of which we are assessing the amount of damage on the site. But the main committees will be working tomorrow. We get a u. S. Court has ruled that a house of Representatives Panel has the right to see former president Donald Trumps tax returns the ways and Means Committee sued in 2019 to force the disclosure of the tax return. The ruling comes a day after the f. B, i reportedly searched the former president s florida home and those are the top stories stay with us. War hotels is next. Taking us to the holiday inn in beirut. One year ago, the thought of onset into double following the withdrawal of foreign forces. 20 years of war ended, but many afghans are still waiting to benefit from the peace. Decided on had not one had denies been recognition as a legitimate government above one side that live on take over one year on another there aah control holiday in. And you controllers that the region around and thats why it was such a bloody battle. The important thing if you are Walking Around in beirut was not to be in the line of fire from the holiday in the battle of all the day incomplete its division. All built into 2 sectors, east and west pedro. Ah, fall off of south welsh on the, on our shop for young old will have flogged me from. Ah, the most powerful building in the city for me is the holiday. Yet more hotels are buildings that function as normal hotels, but often in the context of real instability to ah ah ah, fe route, once a jewel in the mediterranean, but then torn apart by war. This is the sea front of the lebanese capital today, around 3 decades after the end of the civil war. The devastating conflict lasted for 15 years. This street was the green line, dividing bay route into east and west. Dominating the front line was this concrete skeleton. What was once the holiday inn . Its wolves still pattered by the scars of wool, a grotesque witness to the years of separation, killing, and destruction. Ah, ah, my name is tom young, i am a painter and architectural activist from england. And ive lived in by route for about 8 years. Im particularly inspired by the memories and the feelings, the emotions that are embedded in the walls of the buildings and by root the most powerful building in the city for me is the holiday inn. Its so famous inside iconic. Its like a joint to wish remains in the center of the city like an unresolved scar. The holiday inn is still a stark reminder of wounds that have yet to heal, even today. Ah, the 13th of april, 1975, was the official start date of the violence. But this was a proxy conflict. Fought during the cold war era on one side, lebanese right wing parties, backed by the united states, aiming to expel armed palestinian groups from lebanon. On the other left wing parties allied with the p, a low and backed by the soviet union. Who so the right wing christians as an extension of israeli and american influence in lebanon, only 2 weeks off to bay root erupt in the south vietnamese, capital saigon fell to the communists, ending over 19 years of conflict in viet nam televisions. First war, now came lebanon, all maze of repulses and wool photographers moved from Southeast Asia to the middle east and began to occupy bay route. Hotel rooms filled up with news crews. And a new chapter of the cold war began. Most of the correspondence, tv crews, and photographers checked into this hotel, the commodore a safe haven in the west of the city. Every day they would set off from here for downtown bay route for the main Hotel District, where the holiday inn was the front line. The holiday inn was a war hotel and the sense that it was part of an urban battle. A battle between 2 factions, of the strategic heights, but it wasnt a price hotel. So none of the journalist covering the one bedroom stayed in the holiday in the holiday and became one of the 1st significant physical manifestations of the, of the conflict. My name is kenneth morrison, professor of european history. And one of my key Research Interests is in the history of war. Hotels war hotels are buildings that function as normal hotels, but often in the context of real instability. So i look at numerous hotels. Saudi was holiday in beirut, commodore im but also the hotel europe on belfast. For example, the leader palace in nicosia, cyprus, all of these hotels have continued to function throughout this period of instability. Some are with in the real midst of an urban conflict. A war hotel emerges out of a history where journalists over long period before was start, have somehow find it a congenial place to be a watering hole convenient near the center of activity in the city where the politics happens, where the culture happens, where you meet people the hotels which made they root the Tourist Center of the middle east. Im johnson de moby, and ive long been a reporter reporting from all over the world. And therefore, i been in, was the most memorable amongst these was the experience of reporting from the lebanese civil war in the ninetys seventys. This was once the richest part of the richest city in the middle east. I 1st went to lebanon in 1972, as her young reporter, my very 1st article for a magazine here called the new statesman in which i effectively said, this place is waiting to blow. All it needs is a spark because of the complexity of this very small country, surrounded by competing nations, ah, from the 1950s to the early seventys, they route was a magnet for the International Pleasure seeking a lead they routes. Hotel district was at the heart of its luxury tourism economy making it a favorite jet set destination. Ah. When we speak about bay roads golden age as dismissal under the middle east, we are actually talking about an area, the Hotel District. That is the very specific product of a precise geopolitical project. My name is are offering anessa. Im a political geographer who is based at the university of birmingham. I am interested in hotels and urban conflict. Holiday inn came quite late in the day. Ah, in 1974, it was opened. It came quite late in the day into this Hotel District, which was considered a playground for celebrities and politicians, and diplomats and spies. The Hotel District started life in the 1920s when the st. George opened for 4 decades. It was one of the most prestigious hotels on the mediterranean. During the cold war, in the 19 fifties and sixties, the bar of the st. George was described as a revolving door of information. The british double agent can philby was irregular. He operated under cover as a foreign journalist and on the 30th of january, 1963 was spotted for the last time at the bar in the saint george before disappearing in bay route and reappearing a few months later in moscow. More smart hotels sprang up, including the furniture, even more luxurious than the saint george. But when the holiday inn arrived in 1974, it was not only the tallest, but also the last to open before the civil war broke out. I remembered the experience of the furniture and i went into the holiday in different scales of hotel the both of them pretty luxurious hotels. The venetia was very grand indeed. Ah, the holiday inn was a holiday inn, but a very up market holiday in said was plenty of chrome. Plenty of silver, plenty of gold colored drapes. It was done very much in the style that the arab world likes. Von, coming free, denise yell san jose and as i know how to fe, sat out of the Hartford Halle when i let me come. So it was over there to hannibal, alida, billy allison. Mm hm. Sabrina, hey, sorta lily in boston. We also have the look to have been hello, mclinn, this friend or a loaner. They indiana came metal her shuttle is d, the will of man, mom, only front door argie, but he bet the fair i will maribel missed our alana, carb highlander. See can haley, hows a kid . Hello, nazareth door. Oh, i will. I shouldnt be little habitable alley came feminine heavy though li. Be elaborately bridge or cameras on her door. Bunfield order. Dear my son, i can lift collazo contaminate as ali. Oh will lead mamma silly shade medical where to amazon . Them at home or to shut come mom or album lib. Lib read la la la almighty sharif. My spin of sunlight cont, animals hold. Then i will move up shelf her, the carnation, our basil and the sea uribe alo, or cannot be ruled artist tom young wanted to get inside the building to day, but to do that, he had to get permission, not only from the owners, but from the lebanese army, which still controls it as a strategically sensitive location. Young wanted to indulge his passion painting. I finally got the chance to go inside. And my, my, my media feeling was one of just overwhelming emotion. I felt sad, i felt i felt horror, but i felt amazing. Ah, when i started my project for the holiday inn. And so i started painting it from the outside from many viewpoints. And then i discovered that the parents of a very good friend of mine, i have that still refer her parents, sammy and finance. Dad. Actually, not only live next to the holiday inn and have a fantastic view of it from the balcony. And that possibly one of the very few people in lebanon, who had the wedding reception dinner in the holiday in sammy had those at a 140 and then ah, there wasnt let whats, i mean, what about 17, can its how do you all holiday and be on in the on im a half lee, i shut off and i bought my gentlemen in the ways then when i was not the stumble, y heffley. Can it half the henri on a 2nd . Can it would that could work for me as i was in tone in my head with 2 guns, very simple mckenna, mazda, and had that had been on the swing in the chart on the machine in order to get this on id. Ah, holly about russia. Nation has an additional idea on the ship can have that comes here in 10, danesh makin the muscles in latin oconnor men away in nestle garden again. And when one esa remembered only they in why they would do, ill see it a little bit of the nail, but a little harder men. Um said ha, were with it. What it in seeing a building from a distance you understand its concepts within the city and what it must have meant in the civil war. I used this very bright red, which expresses the blood thats been spelled that the violence from the fire and the hate and the anger. And every time i slash the, the paints, its a way of going through that anger and that violence, and honoring that. And i also a raise it as if that itself is the erasure of memory. When the civil war started in april 1975, the pay alo when the Lebanese National movement for the maronite christian flange party, the violence was triggered by the so called bus incident. On the 13th of april, when fighters from the flange party opened fire on a bus, carrying palestinians as it drove through that stronghold of anal romani, 26 palestinians were killed and dozens wounded, unleashing what became a living hell on the streets of bay route, which spread rapidly throughout lebanon, there was street fighting and shelling. There was snipers and kidnappings on sick terry and massacres across the religious divide. The christian felon, just malicious, were based in east bay route, but gradually took control of the main downtown streets in the west of the sit, the strategic polls under Hotel Districts, including the saint george, the venetia, the hilton, and the holiday inn. On the 24th of october, 1975 left wing, mostly militias and Palestinian Armed groups under the umbrella of the National Movement, launched a massive offensive to try and regain control of the Hotel District which straddled east and west with the battle of the hotels. 19759076 was was simply a battle for control of the strategic heights. He who controlled the strategic heights, kids essentially dictate terms. So controlling these buildings in the Hotel District, the hide ice buildings became extremely important for the militias that had been market or can be there either a la mum solo for within australia, california sunshine had a lot and only were weather than one hours had been a son, george will release the militia fighters started moving upwards and they started going on top of bowers, one, eas bush on more. Another one is holiday in a few days in to the battle of the hotels. The guests had completely abandoned the entire district and evacuated to the neighboring mediterranean island of cyprus. Ah. Soon after the upper floors of the holiday inn was set on fire by intensive shelling. The fighting on the ground spread into what was called sect, to full, where the fallen chests had begun using the hilton as a sniper vase. In the days leading up to the start of the civil war. The bay route hilton had been preparing for its grand opening, but that never took place. Instead, malicious on both sides checked in before any v i. P guests. This rare archive video shows the moment when left wing fighters seized the lobby of the hilton. After the phelan justs had withdrawn to their positions in the holiday in the important thing if you were Walking Around in beirut was not to be in the line of fire from the holiday inn. My name is tim who ellen i was the bbcs middle east correspondence in beirut, in the seventys eightys and ninetys. I was in beirut during this much of the lebanese. So a war, i remember once trying to get down to the holiday inn to try and make some sort of effort, get into it to interview the fall anxious. And just as i was getting to the point in an area cor, im or i see where you would come right round a corner into the face of the hotel gunfire started and i scuttled back. There was a dead body lying up the street. It was all rather sinister. I fled back to the hotel. Im afraid it wasnt one of my bravery days. But did some people did get across to the holiday inn . On the 20th of march, 1976, the so called lebanese and Palestinian Joint forces launched their strongest attack yet against the philanthropists in the Hotel District. Their aim was to control all key positions there. But especially the highly strategic holiday in control holiday in. And you control the region around, say you, you took the holiday inn if you possibly could, and thats why it was such a, a bloody battle the holiday inn and it surrounds blaze for 3 days as opposing malicious vice for control. No one knew which way the fighting was going. Not even the lebanese and foreign journalists who reported on the National Movements 1st incursion into the hotel lobby. Fatal earlier to learn more before alma colin lind fund. Be hand lozzo. I left my mom, put my mac mom in short, im unable hurry on. Im annoyed, keep a small group of christian for lunches soon managed to hide inside the hotel. Killed a senior National Movement commander before making their way up to the top. On the 24th floor. By the folder i follow up with south and publish on the record. On our shop for young. Oh wow. Honey. Can clock mill front rabbit . Yeah. Matuse drive south was saudi bizarre fee botkin amongst missouri portal. Oh no. So what i am in the la la barbie. A lot of our sri ayana la on some follow beside. I always thought ocoee mo julio, mike of the, on the images of the sniper dropping 24. 00 floors to his death on the street under the militia, celebrating for the cameras have become symbols of the fall of the holiday inn. Blue dot bottles. That happened the room by room floor by floor stair by stair. The battle of holiday in completed the division of beirut through the green line, into 2 sectors east and west beta wood. And these partition remained over the course of the 2 following decades. And he passed by, di, already. No one will ever know how many heroes died here in the holiday in. The battle lasted 3 days and 3 nights and there were no prisoners at the end. Jonathan demme will be reported on several overseas was for British Commercial broadcaster i t, v for it, and was one of the 1st foreign journalists to enter the holiday inn and document the aftermath of the fighting there. Smouldering ruins of what had been this very popular resort hotel. And he looked at in thought. This is what we do to one another. As a hotel. And now its a shelf total shell. Light bulbs hanging down off of the off of the wall war wires. Chairs smashed up a piano that was in there which somehow its, its more or less survived. The chandeliers, all like this, broken, this sort of looking a bizarrely ah, like gargoyles staring down at what humanity had done to itself below the vision, it will not be a surprising bishop. But it was surprising that that could happen in beirut. Lou. The green line, of course, and the civil war was a place with flowers and trees grew abundant. And so as a reference to that, but its also a way of envisioning some bryce, a future kind of sense of hope that might spring up in the ruins of the past. Today around 3 decades, on from the end of the civil war, the complexity of lebanon, sectarianism, and the geo politics of the region mean that the country in its people are still struggling to recover from its effects. The majority of the Hotel District has been rebuilt. The enormous shell of the holiday inn still towers over downtown, awaiting its fate. No more green line for it to look down on today. But the monument to 15 years of struggle continues to attract visitors, historians, artists, and filmmakers. All seeking to understand the events of the seventys and eightys more than any other ravaged, building, surviving the conflict. It surely deserves the title war hotel. We are a generation of cat people, but very ambitious, very united, very persistent and very good, bad action. Youve been made to be competent right now, but not for long. You will soon feel the same his, we feel every day from cuba, hong kong than uganda, 3 women grappled with the impact of the frontline after this fear future children. Anaya 0 pro democracy activists risking their lives fighting autocracy was the i know that i might go to prison. Good. So i will join the rodney democracy may be exposed. The struggle of those who believe democracy is worth dying for. We never know when an opening is going to come when a fruit vendor is going to emulate themselves and say enough is enough. My life for democracy on al jazeera is a wave of sentiment around the world. People actually want accountability from the people who are running their countries. And i think often peoples voice is not heard because i just not part of the mainstream news market. Obviously we cover the big stories and report on the big events that are going on, but we will say will tell a story that people generally dont have a voice. Im in whenever the child, my dad never be afraid to put your hand up and ask a question. And i think thats what im really does. We ask the questions, the people who should be account