Hizbollah says Lebanon has declared war

Hizbollah says Lebanon has declared war

By Roula Khalaf, Middle East Editor

Published: May 8 2008 18:56 | Last updated: May 9 2008 01:48

Fighting between Lebanon’s opposition and government supporters intensified on Thursday after the leader of the Shia militant group Hizbollah accused the pro-western administration of declaring war against his organisation.

As the clashes spread in Beirut, security sources said at least eight people had been killed and 16 wounded. With gunmen exchanging fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the violence threatened to degenerate into a broader Sunni-Shia conflict.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah chief, demanded the government reverse decisions taken this week against his group. He said Lebanon had entered a new stage and government moves against a Hizbollah communications network and the sacking of a Shia general had been advocated by the US and Israel.

The pro-western government raised the stakes this week in its 18-month political struggle with the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hizbollah by declaring the group’s communications network illegal. The government also removed a general close to Hizbollah from his post as head of airport security amid charges cameras had been set up to monitor runways.

Saad Hariri, Sunni leader and head of the parliamentary majority, called on Mr Nasrallah last night to take his fighters off the streets and end the “siege” of Beirut, after opposition members maintained a blockade around the airport.

Mr Hariri appeared willing to roll back on the government’s two decisions, proposing that the army evaluate the need and timing of their execution. But he also demanded that Hizbollah agree to the immediate election of the army chief, General Michel Suleiman, as president – a move the opposition has been blocking.

Mr Nasrallah argued Hizbollah’s telecommunications network was a key part of its “resistance” operations and was essential to its leaders’ security. He accused the government of turning the airport into a base for US and Israeli intelligence.

“The government decisions amount to a declaration of war against the resistance, for the benefit and on behalf of the US and Israel,” he said. “I’ve said the hand that targets the resistance will be cut. A war has started and we have to defend our resistance.”

The government and opposition have been locked in a political stand-off for nearly two years but both sides have sought to prevent the crisis from turning into the sort of civil war that has torn Lebanon in the past.

The current confrontation, however, appears more difficult to contain, not least because each side has pushed itself into a corner.

Moreover, the army, the only national institution remaining in the country, has stayed on the sidelines, refusing to move against Hizbollah as the group blocked roads and erected barriers.

On Thursday, the army said the crisis was threatening its unity. A government spokesman told the FT Hizbollah – seen in much of the Arab world as a resistance movement against Israel – had gone too far in taking advantage of the political vacuum and expanding on the ground, forcing Fouad Siniora, Sunni prime minister, to take action. “We had to say no. We can’t take it any more,” he said.

Hizbollah’s opponents have long assumed it would avoid a civil war. But Mr Nasrallah warned yesterday this calculation was wrong. He was not afraid of a Sunni-Shia conflict and Hizbollah’s weapons would be used to defend the resistance.

---------------------
Hizbollah seizes large parts of Beirut

By Roula Khalaf, Middle East Editor

Published: May 8 2008 18:56 | Last updated: May 9 2008 09:16

Gunmen loyal to the Shia militant group Hizbollah seized control of several Beirut neighbourhoods on Friday, and shut down a pro-government newspaper and television station as opposition forces tightened their grip on the Lebanese capital.

About 11 people were killed in clashes as gun fire echoed around the city, amid growing fears that the violence threatened to degenerate into a broader Sunni-Shia conflict and wider regional conflict. Forces loyal to the weak US-backed government appeared unable to match the better armed and organised Hizbollah gunmen, who were supported by fighters loyal to Amal, another Shia opposition movement.

There were reports that members of the national army – which has previously tried to stay out of the internal conflict and was the only national institution remaining in the country – accompanied opposition forces as they shut down Future TV and al-Mustaqbal newspaper. Both media outlets are owned by Saad Hariri, a Sunni and leader of the parliamentary majority that backs Fouad Siniora, the embattled prime minister.

Residents said it appeared Hizbollah and its supporters – which have already forced the airport to close - were seeking to take over the capital and topple the government

On Thursday, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbollah chief, had accused the pro-western administration of declaring war against his organisation. Hizbollah is backed by Iran and Syria.

Mr Nasrallah had demanded the government reverse decisions taken this week against his group. He said Lebanon had entered a new stage and government moves against a Hizbollah communications network and the sacking of a Shia general had been advocated by the US and Israel.

The government raised the stakes this week in its 18-month political struggle with the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hizbollah by declaring the group’s communications network illegal. The government also removed a general close to Hizbollah from his post as head of airport security amid charges cameras had been set up to monitor runways.

Mr Hariri on Thursday night called on Mr Nasrallah to take his fighters off the streets and end the “siege” of Beirut.

Mr Hariri had appeared willing to roll back on the government’s two decisions, proposing that the army evaluate the need and timing of their execution. But he also demanded that Hizbollah agree to the immediate election of the army chief, General Michel Suleiman, as president – a move the opposition has been blocking.

Mr Nasrallah argued Hizbollah’s telecommunications network was a key part of its “resistance” operations and was essential to its leaders’ security. He accused the government of turning the airport into a base for US and Israeli intelligence.

“The government decisions amount to a declaration of war against the resistance, for the benefit and on behalf of the US and Israel,” he said. “I’ve said the hand that targets the resistance will be cut. A war has started and we have to defend our resistance.”

The government and opposition have been locked in a political stand-off for nearly two years but both sides have sought to prevent the crisis from turning into the sort of civil war that has torn Lebanon in the past.

The current confrontation, however, appears more difficult to contain, not least because each side has pushed itself into a corner.

Moreover, the army had stayed on the sidelines, refusing to move against Hizbollah as the group blocked roads and erected barriers.

On Thursday, the army said the crisis was threatening its unity. A government spokesman told the FT Hizbollah – seen in much of the Arab world as a resistance movement against Israel – had gone too far in taking advantage of the political vacuum and expanding on the ground, forcing Fouad Siniora, Sunni prime minister, to take action. “We had to say no. We can’t take it any more,” he said.

Hizbollah’s opponents have long assumed it would avoid a civil war. But Mr Nasrallah warned yesterday this calculation was wrong. He was not afraid of a Sunni-Shia conflict and Hizbollah’s weapons would be used to defend the resistance.