Lebanon - Hezbollah seizes large parts of Beirut

Reuters (excerpt) ^ | May 9, 2008 | Tom Perry

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

BEIRUT, May 9 (Reuters) - Hezbollah gunmen took control of large areas of Beirut on Friday in a third day of fighting between the pro-Iranian group and fighters loyal to the U.S.-backed governing coalition.

Security sources said at least 10 people had been killed and 20 wounded. The thud of exploding grenades and crackle of automatic gunfire echoed overnight in the worst internal strife since the 1975-90 civil war.

Gunmen loyal to Hezbollah forced the pro-government Future News television off the air on Friday, said a senior official at the Beirut station. Future News is owned by Saad al-Hariri, a leader of the governing coalition.

The security sources said Hezbollah and fighters from the allied Amal movement -- both Shi'ite groups -- had overrun offices of Hariri's Future group across the predominantly Muslim western half of Beirut.

Gunmen had also taken over the offices of Hariri's Al-Mustaqbal newspaper, witnesses said. Smoke billowed from the building's windows.

~ snip ~

[epluribus_2]

11:41 French Peacekeepers do nothing.
11:42 French Peacekeepers ear escargot.
11:59 French FM denounces Israel.

[Cindy]

HMMM...that’s a tough one.

Thanks Uncle Ike for understanding.

[Uncle Ike]

Thanks, Cindy, for ‘getting’ the reference —

Not too many people, these days, remember the Brothers Grimm stories from our childhood.... ;~)

[Cindy]

Hey, I love those fair tales with real happy endings...you know...and they lived happily every after.

[Cindy]

A Reference Article:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=BD194EC5-A8C5-42DE-B4A4-964FCCAB8EA1

“Brewing Confrontation in Lebanon”
By P. David Hornik
FrontPageMagazine.com | Friday, May 09, 2008

[Uncle Ike]

[Crossposted from “News From The Long War” thread]

To: WorkerbeeCitizen
Lebanese source: Hizbullah taking control of last resistance stronghold
Published: 05.09.08, 12:49 / Israel News

Gunmen loyal to the Lebanese government have laid down their arms and surrendered to Hizbullah militants at the last Sunni neighborhood in Beirut that has yet to fall into the Shiite group’s hands.

Security officials said Lebanese army soldiers are expected to enter the neighborhood. (Reuters)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541254,00.html

2,013 posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 5:01:35 AM by WorkerbeeCitizen (Slavery through better taxation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2011 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1979689/posts?page=2013#2013

[Cindy]

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541255,00.html

Lebanese minister: Iran behind attack on Beirut
Published: 05.09.08, 12:54 / Israel News

Lebanese coalition member Ahmad Fatfat said Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah had “taken advantage of the government’s decision to outlaw the (Shiite) group’s communications system to declare war.”

“It was actually Iran that raided Beirut,” Fatfat told Al-Arabiya, “this is an Iranian attack.” (Roee Nahmias)

#

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541249,00.html

Lebanese minister: Attack on Beirut Iranian-backed
Published: 05.09.08, 12:29 / Israel News

Ahmad Patpat, a member of the Lebanese government, said that Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah “utilized the government’s decision to outlaw his communications in order to declare war.

“Iran has broken into Beirut,” he concluded in an interview to Al Arabiya network. “What is happening here is an Iranian attack.” (Roee Nahmias)

[Uncle Ike]

[another crosspost..]

To: Uncle Ike; Bahbah; All
Report: Hizbullah surrounding Beirut government offices
Published: 05.09.08, 11:46 / Israel News

Hizbullah gunmen are currently surrounding a government office building and the home of anti-Syrian, pro-government leader Saad al-Hariri in Beirut, Saudi-owned

Al Arabiya television said on Friday. (Roee Nahmias)

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3541239,00.html

2,017 posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 5:15:31 AM by WorkerbeeCitizen (Slavery through better taxation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2016 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1979689/posts?page=2017#2017

[livius]

I saw video coverage in the Spanish press where the Hizbullah partisans in some neighborhood are waving a photo of Mookie. Al Sadr seems to have gotten his fat fingers into this, as well.

[jhpigott]

could all be loosely connected. word is Iraq/US forces are going to hit Sadr City hard and soon. Iran is really mucking up the works right now

[bd476]

You're welcome, Cindy.

Hal9000, echoing what Cindy said, thanks for all the updates.

[HAL9000]

1:15 pm The crackle of gunfire echoed over the municipality stadium in Beirut.

1:10 pm Gunmen stormed into the house of Mufti Jabal Amel Sayyed Ali al-Amin in Tyre.

12:40 pm Gunmen from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party were seen deployed in Clemenceau .

12:00 pm Protestors closed the road between al-Abdeh and Halba. The Mina road, however, was reopened.

11:50 am Dahr el-Baidar highway was opened in both directions.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

[livius]

I believe al Sadr is supposedly still in Iran...I wonder if this is concerted in some way? Syria was also making threatening noises this morning. It wouldn’t be surprising and it would certainly explain some things.

[veracious]

I wonder if any freedom loving country would want to help the Lebanese government. Nah, let's allow Hezzie or rather it's masters, Iran and Syria run amuck all over the world. Any real man would have done something about the proxy game a long time ago; where are they?

[jhpigott]

what gets me is that this cannot have been totally unexpected by the Lebanese govt

- they cut off and declared illegal Hezbollahs communications network

- they pulled Hezbollah’s guy running airport security off the job. And by many accounts the airport was where Hezbollah was receiving most of its resupply

Lebanon was effectively cutting off Hezbollah’s comms network and resupply . . . they had to know Hezbollah wouldn’t just sit and take it?

and now it looks like the Lebanese gov and army are just rolling over . . . it just doesn’t add up. Stuff is going on we are not seeing

[elfman2]

Thank you France!

Force an Israeli ceasefire with a promise of peacekeepers and then send a fraction of those you promised with next to no authority to engage in anything supporting keeping of peace.

[NonValueAdded]

10:32 am An Egyptian diplomatic source said it is not allowed for a force backed by Iran to control Lebanon.

Well, then ... problem solved!

[tobyhill]

It has to get worse before it gets better. The Hezbos have been reduced to street thugs with limited fighting skills. Not to say Israel trounced the Hezbos but they probably did a better number at degrading the Hezbos than they originally were given credit for.

[tobyhill]

****12:40 pm Gunmen from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party were seen deployed in Clemenceau.****