Posted on 01/20/2011 12:30:02 PM PST by mojito
Hizbullah members and allied parties carried out a two-hour exercise early on Tuesday morning at 12 strategic points in Beirut, meant to show a potential first response to the commission findings surrounding the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai reported on Wednesday.
Members of the Hizbullah and Amal Shi’ite movements participated in the drill, and were reportedly unarmed and wearing black shirts.
Lebanese security officials confirmed the gatherings, which dispersed by late morning and appeared to be a show of force in the hours after a long-awaited indictment was submitted on Monday to the International Court of Justice at the Hague on Hariri’s death.
Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hizbullah’s political bureau, said he was not aware of such gatherings.
“I cannot comment,” he said.
Though no violence was reported, parents pulled their children from school on Tuesday after seeing gatherings of up to 30 people dressed in black and carrying hand-held radios. One gathering was about 400 meters from the Grand Serail, the seat of government in downtown Beirut, and security officials closed the roads leading to the building.
Education Minister Hassan Mneimneh told Lebanese TV stations that the situation in the capital had “returned to normal” by late morning and that “tomorrow will be a normal school day.”
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
Today, armored personnel carrrier were in the streets of Beirut, and barricades were going up aroung government buildings.
The next one won’t be a drill.
I think it’s a given that Hizbollah will take total control in Lebanon. The other factions are way too weak to contest it.
“Lebanese special police forces tightened security around the government palace and other official buildings Thursday amid growing fears that the country was headed toward violence.”
“A senior security official confirmed to The Associated Press that the security measures in and around Beirut stem from “concerns of movements on the ground by some parties.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.”
“Special police forces were seen hauling cement barriers around the government house in Beirut and putting up reinforcements around government buildings and banks. Armored personnel carriers deployed to many areas of the city.”
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=204564
No problem. Obama will call his new BOF Assad.
Gatherings?
More like "future targets"...
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