Anticipation, preparation by Beirut photo team delivers standout coverage of deadly street battles

By Hussein Malla, Hassan Ammar and Bilal Hussein

Hourslong gun battles on the streets of Beirut began abruptly and the situation deteriorated into the worst armed clashes the Lebanese capital has seen in more than a decade, as Lebanon’s two Shiite parties, Hezbollah and Amal, protested the judge investigating last year’s Beirut port blast. AP’s photographers were there to capture the fighting with the kind of defining images AP is known for, and customers have come to expect.

While that’s not unusual — AP journalists delivering exceptional work in a dangerous environment — this coverage drew heavily on awareness, preparation and street smarts. Photographers Hassan Ammar and Bilal Hussein, and chief photographer Hussein Malla knew what was coming, they understood the situation on the ground and they anticipated the potential areas of conflict.

AP 21287365241877 ss — A man runs to take cover as supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah come to the aid of injured men during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. Shiite Muslim parties were protesting the judge investigating last year’s Beirut port blast. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287376234881 ss — Supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah fire weapons during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287362552724 ss — Supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah come to the aid of an injured comrade during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287363643323 ss — A man runs for cover as supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah fire weapons during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287457501025 ss — Supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah come to the aid of an injured comrade during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287431277239 ss — Supporters of a Shiite group allied with Hezbollah stand next to blood from an injured comrade during armed clashes that erupted during a protest in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hassan Ammar

AP 21287505882509 ss — Lebanese army soldiers are seen through the bullet-riddled car window after deadly clashes erupted in Ain el-Remaneh neighborhood of Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021, along a former front line of the 1975-90 civil war between Shiite Muslim and Christian areas. – AP Photo / Bilal Hussein

AP 21287411237731 ss — Students sit along a corridor as armed clashes erupted near their school in the Christian neighborhood of Ain el-Remaneh in Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hussein Malla

AP 21287396861074 ss — A Lebanese mother evacuates her children freightened by the sounds of armed clashes in the Christian neighborhood of Ain el-Remaneh in Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hussein Malla

AP 21287401038365 ss — A Lebanese mother and her children hide from sniper fire outside a school in the Christian neighborhood of Ain el-Remaneh in Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hussein Malla

AP 21287435008996 ss — Lebanese army special forces soldiers assist teachers as they flee their school after deadly clashes erupted nearby along a former front line of the 1975-90 civil war between Shiite Muslim and Christian areas in the Ain el-Remaneh neighborhood in Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hussein Malla

AP 21288537545165 ss — Mourners chant slogans as they carry the coffin of a Hezbollah supporter who was killed during Thursday clashes, during a funeral procession in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 15, 2021. The government called for a day of mourning following the armed clashes, in which gunmen used automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades on the streets of the capital, echoing the nation’s darkest era of the 1975-90 civil war. – AP Photo / Bilal Hussein

AP 21288449981543 ss — Supporters of the Shiite Amal group fire weapons in the air during the funeral procession of Hassan Jamil Nehmeh, who was killed in the previous day’s clashes, in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 15, 2021. Dozens of gunmen opened fire in the air during the funerals of persons killed in hours of gun battles. – AP Photo / Bilal Hussein

AP 21288462912168 ss — Supporters of the Shiite Amal group fire weapons in the air during the funeral procession of Hassan Jamil Nehmeh, who was killed in the previous day’s clashes, in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 15, 2021. – AP Photo / Bilal Hussein

AP 21288563273817 ss — A man fires in the air during the funeral of three Hezbollah supporters who were killed during the previous day’s clashes, in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, Oct. 15, 2021. – AP Photo / Bilal Hussein

The trio split up to cover different areas of the expected protest: Ammar covered the predominantly Shiite side, Malla headed for the Christian side and Hussein staked out the middle ground, on the former civil war frontline.

When the first shot was heard they were in place to capture the chaos that ensued from every side. As the bullets started flying, Ammar made the first photos, alerted his video and print colleagues and then sent short video clips from his iPhone to the Beirut bureau.

AP 21287409173607 1024i — At a school in the Christian neighborhood of Ain el-Remaneh, a teacher hugs a student frightened by the sounds of nearby armed clashes in Beirut, Oct. 14, 2021. – AP Photo / Hussein Malla

While he and Hussein took photos of the militiamen firing their machine guns and people rushing to take cover, Malla went to a school caught in the middle of the shootout and took emotional and powerful photos showing students and teachers sheltering in a corridor, the army evacuating teachers, and a mother hiding with her children behind a car after she picked them up from school. His were the only news agency photos from inside the school — they dominated social media feeds in Lebanon and the front pages of international media.

Deputy Middle East news director Balint Szlanko used early video clips sent by the photographers to create a video edit that was used by some 100 channels in the first 24 hours. The team’s photos appeared widely,including in The Washington Post and The New York Times,showing the situation on the ground in Beirut.

For smart planning and courageous execution to deliver photos and video that brought viewers and readers into the battle zone,the judges recognize the team of Ammar, Malla and Hussein as AP’s Best of the Week — Second Winner.