Lebanon

Violence leaves Beirut in crisis

Article published on the 2008-05-09 Latest update 2008-05-21 12:45 TU

Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah
Photo: Reuters

Ten people have been killed in Beirut gunbattles since Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed on Thursday that a government crackdown on the activities of the Shia-Muslim movement was tantamount to a declaration of war.

The headquarters of Future TV have been set on fire. The channel is owned by pro-government politician Saad Hariri, whose father, former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, was assasinated in 2005.

The building is in west Beirut, a Sunni-Muslim area much of which has been seized by Hezbollah after fighting between Sunni militants loyal to the Western-backed government and opposition supporters.

The perimeter of Hariri's house in west Beirut was hit by rocket fire early on Friday. 

Beirut's port has been closed and air traffic is grounded for the third day running, threatening the economy. Hezbollah supporters blocked access to Beirut international airport with mounds of earth and burning tyres. The US government warned the movement, which is backed by Iran and Syria to stop its "disruptive activities" and UN Security Council members said they were "deeply concerned" over the crisis.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech on Thursday after the government began an investigation into a private communications network run by the group, which the US considers to be a terrorist organisation.

Bassel Salloukh, a professor of political science at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, told RFI that the coalition government has chosen to take a confrontational route with Hezbollah.

"This latest violence was triggered by the government's decision to confront Hezbollah on a number of security issues...We have experienced in the past couple of years tensions and confrontations between the government and the opposition, but mainly Hezbollah - I think this was the last straw for Hezbollah, and it has led to what is happening now."

Saudi Arabia, which backs the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, has called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers to try and calm the crisis. The United Arab Emirates has begun to evacuate its nationals, while locals have started to stockpile food.