BEIRUT — Militants carrying assault weapons clear the area around a street, shouting in Arabic for people to get out of the way. A jeep pulls up: The world’s No. 1 jihadi has arrived for a meeting with top Hezbollah commanders. On rooftops, U.S. snipers crouch unseen, the kingpin in their crosshairs at last. The scene, from a recent episode of the hit U.S. Showtime series “Homeland,” is supposed to be Beirut. But it is really in Israel, a country similar enough in some areas to stand in for Lebanon, yet a world away in most other respects. The show about Arab terrorists and American turncoats has inadvertently become a tale of two cities. Some Beirutis are angry because the depiction of their city as swarming with militiamen is misleading and because they see Israel as the enemy. And in Israel, some are peeved that Haifa and even Tel Aviv – a self-styled nightlife capital and high-tech hub – apparently appear, to outsiders at least, to be Middle Eastern after all. Lebanese Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud told The Associated Press on Thursday that he’s so upset about the portrayal of Beirut that he’s considering a lawsuit.  ”The information minister is studying media laws to see what can be done,” he said. Abboud pointed to the scene with the snipers. Hamra Street in West Beirut is portrayed as a hotbed of violence, but it is actually a lively neighborhood packed with cafes, book shops and pubs. ”It showed Hamra Street with militia roaming in it. This does not reflect reality,” he said. “It was not filmed in Beirut and does not portray the real image of Beirut.”

Hey Lebanon lets cut the shit, huh? You could ask everyone on the planet earth to describe Beirut and the last thing they’d say is “cafes, book shops and pubs.” Has nothing to do with Brody and Abu Nazir from Homeland. Has to do with the overwhelming reputation the Middle East has for being the worst place on earth. Yea I’m sure you can buy a really nice turban at a flea market bazaar but its also a terrorist war zone, so forgive me if Beirut, Lebanon isn’t the first place that comes to mind when I’m looking for a nice Sunday brunch.

This shit would be like Lindsay Lohan complaining about how she’s portrayed in the media. Like her publicist saying “But she likes puppies and babies and goes to church on Christmas and Easter.” Yea but shes also a drunken coke addicted whore who steals things and gets arrested monthly.

UPDATE: There was a car bombing that killed 7 people and wounded 80. But yea. Its Showtime’s fault.