05-08-2008, 01:59 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 11,152
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Deadly battles as Hezbollah says Lebanon 'declares war'
Quote:
BEIRUT (AFP) - Deadly gunbattles erupted in Beirut on Thursday after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah charged that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a "declaration of war," raising fears of a full-blown sectarian conflict.
Lebanon, paralysed by a political crisis for 18 months, has been rocked by two days of clashes between rival factions, leading to urgent appeals for calm in the deeply divided country and a blunt US warning to Hezbollah.
Three people were killed in the fighting which erupted between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition in several mixed Sunni and Shiite Muslim districts of the capital, hospital officials said.
In scenes ominously reminiscent of the 1975-1990 civil war, Beirut's streets were virtually deserted as loud explosions and gunfire shook the capital, as gunmen, some of them hooded, fired at each other with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.
Nasrallah delivered his fiery speech on the second day of anti-government protests which saw supporters of the rival factions block roads with burning tyres and force the closure of Lebanon's international airport.
As many as 30 people have also been wounded in clashes over the two days in Beirut and other towns.
"The (government) decisions are tantamount to a declaration of war and the start of a war... on behalf of the United States and Israel," he charged during a rare press conference.
The government on Tuesday launched a probe into a private communications network run by Hezbollah, which is seen in the West as a terrorist outfit and which critics say has become a "state within a state."
The White House said Hezbollah must "stop their disruptive activities" while the UN Security Council appealed for calm.
"Hezbollah needs to make a choice: Be a terrorist organisation or be a political party, but quit trying to be both," said US national security council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
He said US President George W. Bush would discuss the turmoil when he meets Siniora in Egypt next week during a Middle East tour.
Security Council members were "deeply concerned" about the unrest, said John Sawers, Britain's UN ambassador and the current council president.
"They stress the need to uphold the security and sovereignty of Lebanon and express their support for the constitutional institutions of the country. They urge all sides to exercise calm and restraint and call for the immediate reopening of all roads."
Regional powers Saudi Arabia and Egypt voiced support for the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora while Arab League chief Amr Mussa, who has repeatedly visited Beirut to try to resolve the crisis, urged Lebanon's leaders to avoid any further escalation
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080508...politicsunrest
Hezbollah better watch out!
The UN might make up another worthless resolution and enforce it with air.
Lebanon and its allies need to bite the bullet and go all out on exterminating Hezbollah.
Last edited by DuH2; 05-08-2008 at 01:59 PM.
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