Hezbollah Gunmen Take Beirut Neighborhoods

Secretary Of State Rice Accuses Militants Of Killing Innocent Civilians

(CBS/AP)  Unchallenged by the army, Iranian-backed Hezbollah routed Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-allied government and seized control of large swaths of Beirut's Muslim sector Friday, proving it is the most powerful force in Lebanon.

The move dramatically strengthened the Shiite militant group's hand in bitter political battles over the country's future.

At one point, about 100 Hezbollah militants wearing matching camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles marched down the city's main commercial street in a display of power meant to show the government who's in charge.

They took up positions in corners and sidewalks and stopped the few cars braving the empty streets to search their trunks.

Nearby, dozens of fighters from another Hezbollah-allied party appeared, some with their faces masked and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Elsewhere, Hezbollah-allied militiamen from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party drove in cars, firing in the air in celebration.

Lebanon's army largely stood aside as Shiite fighters scattered their opponents in street fights to occupy most of the capital's Muslim sector.

It was Lebanon's worst sectarian fighting in more than a decade and a grim harkening back to its devastating 1975-90 civil war. That war left Beirut divided into two main sectors, one predominantly Muslim and the other mainly Christian.

At least 15 people have been died in three days of violence.

Hours after the takeover, however, Hezbollah fighters began withdrawing from streets they had occupied and Lebanese troops began moving into some neighborhoods. Others remained on street corners across the area they control as the fighting began to ease.

Christian leader Michel Aoun, a close ally of Hezbollah, declared after Hezbollah's triumph that "the train is back on the right track" and predicted the situation will begin to de-escalate.

The pullback signaled Hezbollah did not intend a lasting takeover of the Sunni Muslim parts of Beirut, unlike the takeover of Gaza a year ago by the Islamic militant Hamas.

Hezbollah and allied gunmen steered away from government buildings and made no attempt to advance toward the city's Christian sector. Christian neighborhoods were peaceful, with troops deployed along the former old civil war demarcation line.

Yet the Hezbollah show-of-force was certain to both strengthen its own political position and deeply worry a Middle East and Western world nervous about Iran's influence and intentions in the region.

The Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition have been deadlocked in a power struggle for 17 months over control of the government.

The stunning turn of events also dealt a blow to the U.S., which has long considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization backed by Syria and Iran, and has been a supporter of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government and its army over the last three years.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Hezbollah is killing and injuring innocent civilians and is "seeking to protect their state-within-a-state."

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the U.S. was very troubled by Hezbollah's actions.

"We urge Hezbollah to stop their attempt to defy the lawful decisions taken by the democratically elected Lebanese government. We also urge Iran and Syria to stop their support of Hezbollah and its destabilizing effects on Lebanon," he added. "We have confidence in the government of Lebanon."

Syria and Qatar agreed Friday that the crisis in Lebanon was an internal issue, and expressed hope that the Lebanese would find a solution through dialogue, reports CBS News' George Baghdadi in Damascus.

The joint statement was issued after a series of discussions earlier in the day between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Qatari Emir Prince Hamad Bin Khaleefa Al-Thani.

"Talks dealt with the current developments in the region, in particular Lebanon, and view points were identical; that the crisis was an internal Lebanese issue," the statement said.

The political crisis has its roots in allegations of Syrian and Iranian interference in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies bolted out of the Cabinet 17 months ago and since then, Saniora has consistently refused their demands for veto power in a future administration.

Hezbollah, in turn, has besieged downtown Beirut with a sit-in, and has blocked the election of a president in parliament, leaving the country without a head of state since November.

Sporadic street clashes had broken out in the last year. But this week's intense violence began after the government tried to fire a Hezbollah-linked airport security chief and shut down a Hezbollah communications network.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a fiery speech Thursday, called those government decisions a "declaration of war." Shortly after his speech, the worst of the street clashes erupted and the Shiite forces overran Beirut neighborhoods.

"The government tried to show force by shutting down Hezbollah. Hezbollah showed force by pushing back the government," said Jon Alterman, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Middle East Program in Washington.

"Hezbollah emerged stronger and the government emerged weaker, but that's not to say that the government is weaker than Hezbollah," Alterman added.

Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, said Friday he was confident that Lebanon will not drift toward an Iraq-styled sectarian strife.

[milesbrown49]

Prinzowhales: What is strange to me is that most Americans know what Israel is doing but say nothing. Seems like the Nazi reverse. I don''t understand.

[milesbrown49]

Prinzowhales: What is strange to me is that most Americans know what Israel is doing but say nothing. Seems like the Nazi reverse. I don''t understand.

[guadalcanal3]

Bring in the the IDF...They''ll take care of it.

[keithle1]

Violence in Beirut? How terrible. Yawn. So what else is new. Wake me if any Americans get killed.

[prinzowhales]

juwboy--And just what attrocities did the Palestinian women and children of Sabra and Shatila commit against the Phalangists that called for their rape, torture, mutilation and murder illuminated under the flares of the Israeli army that penned the camps in while the Phlangists slaughtered them? Even the war criminal in charge of the Israelis was removed as a gesture towards ameliorating the international outrage over these crimes.

[kevinrphkv]

It seems to me that if the Arab thugs want to kill someone(obviously they are either killing each other or anyone nearby) Bush has the right idea in keeping the war on that side of the globe. Otherwise they WILL come to our house and throw a molotov cocktail in our kitchen while we eat breakfast... Think about it. This is a war to keep us secure not the Iraqis. To keep the Arabs under control is a very big job and we can only hold them off so long before we go broke. I do not envy our leaders. They are doing the best that they can to keep YOU safe.

[kevinrphkv]

It seems to me that if the Arab thugs want to kill someone(obviously they are either killing each other or anyone nearby) Bush has the right idea in keeping the war on that side of the globe. Otherwise they WILL come to our house and throw a molotov cocktail in our kitchen while we eat breakfast... Think about it. This is a war to keep us secure not the Iraqis. To keep the Arabs under control is a very big job and we can only hold them off so long before we go broke. I do not envy our leaders. They are doing the best that they can to keep YOU safe.

[mcvet]

During the debate, Barack Obama once again refused to condemn former President Jimmy Carter- who publicly supports Obama- for holding talks with the Hamas terrorist group, a group supported financially, politically and military by Iran.

Barack Obama''''s foreign policy plans have even won him praise from Hamas leaders. Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Hamas Prime Minister said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America."

We need change in America, but not the kind of change that wins kind words from Hamas, surrenders in Iraq and will hold unconditional talks with Iranian President Ahmadinejad.




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

Posted by nanging3 at 02:59 AM : May 10, 2008
+ report abuse

Duh?? Sparky you nazi''s have got to get a grip on this!! OBAMA has NOT set policy for your fuhrer, Heir Bush! It is Heir Bush is is ALLIED with the Shiite in IRAQ you know... course he''s ALLIED with the Sunni as well... to tell you the truth NO ONE knows exactly WHAT Sir Lies-A-Lot stands for... NO ONE at all. Obama represents OUR best hope to bring some sanity to our policy and some INTELLIGENCE to the office of PRESIDENT. YOU freaks have a RECORD and you seem to want to run from that RECORD in any way you can... SIEG HEIL BUSH!!

[juwboy]

AVSuvorov said:

"the massacres in Sabra and Shatila were carried out by Maronite CHRISTIANS who were allies of the Israelis."

The Maronites were under orders from the Israelis to go into the camps and arrest members of the PLO.

However, they decided to disobey the orders they were given because they saw this as an opportunity to gain revenge for the terrible atrocities committed against Lebanese Christians by Yasir Arafat''s PLO.

Good for them!

If only they''d killed even more .....

[nanging3]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/removable-of-father-michael-pfleger

[nanging3]

During the debate, Barack Obama once again refused to condemn former President Jimmy Carter- who publicly supports Obama- for holding talks with the Hamas terrorist group, a group supported financially, politically and military by Iran.

Barack Obama''s foreign policy plans have even won him praise from Hamas leaders. Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Hamas Prime Minister said, "We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election. He has a vision to change America."

We need change in America, but not the kind of change that wins kind words from Hamas, surrenders in Iraq and will hold unconditional talks with Iranian President Ahmadinejad.

[nanging3]

{JERUSALEM - Sen. Barack Obama%u2019s Chicago church reprinted a manifesto by Hamas that defended terrorism as legitimate resistance, refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist and compared the terror group%u2019s official charter - which
calls for the murder of Jews - to America%u2019s Declaration of Independence.
The Hamas piece was published on the %u201CPastor%u2019s Page%u201D of the Trinity United Church of Christ newsletter reserved for Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., The revelation follows a recent WND article quoting Israeli security officials who expressed %u201Cconcern%u201D about Robert Malley, an adviser to Obama who has
advocated negotiations with Hamas and providing international assistance to the terrorist group.
In his July 22, 2007, church bulletin, Wright reprinted an article by Mousa Abu Marzook, identified in the newsletter as a %u201Cdeputy of the political bureau of Hamas.%u201D
According to senior Israeli security officials, Marzook, who resides in Syria
alongside Hamas chieftain Khaled Meshaal, is considered the %u201Cbrains%u201D behind
Hamas, designing much of the terror group%u2019s policies and ideology. Israel
possesses what it says is a large volume of specific evidence that Marzook has
been directly involved in calling for or planning scores of Hamas terrorist
offensives, including deadly suicide bombings. He was also accused of attempting
to set up a Hamas network in the U.S.

[gce65]

This is so trivial! Most of the US population can''t even pronounce Hezbollah or find Beirut on a map.

CBS: Didn''t you know that Jenna Bush is having her wedding this weekend? Why is your ENTIRE news team not down at "the ranch in Craaaawf''rd" to cover the nuptuals? We have to know what she''s wearing!

[harp1963]

Who cares. Sink the whole continent. These people couldn''t get along for all the money in the world.

[erasmus81]

I will be with you at 1:00.

Goodnight A.J.

[ajmarine11]

Erasmus,

I don''t know what is going on. Have a good weekend, and we can try this again Monday. Hope things went well with your mother.

I''ll be thinking of you.......girl.

[erasmus81]

Posted by AJMarine11 at 11:24 PM : May 09, 2008

I got 3 altogether. The "Hi girl" one, the "I''m done one, and the last one saying that you only got 1 e-mail.

[patriotic9]

It''s great to see Shia killing Sunni, sunni killing shia, christians killing their muslim brothers and muslims killing their christian brothers (they both belive in ISLAMIC RADICAL "JESUS" who opposed homosexual''s right of marriage just like his brother OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN), Muslims killing Jews and Jews killing muslims.

Only thing sad about this is my tax dollars being spent on these thousands of years old myths!

[ajmarine11]

I didn''t get it. Did you get one from me just a little bit ago?

[erasmus81]

Erasmus,

Just one. Try another.

Posted by AJMarine11 at 11:17 PM : May 09, 2008


I sent another.