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Hezbollah takes over west Beirut |
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Written by BBC
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The crisis is said to be a major blow to the pro-Western government.
Gunmen from the Shia militant group Hezbollah have taken control of most of western Beirut, driving out supporters of the Western-backed government.
The gunmen, who support Hezbollah and its Shia opposition allies, also forced the closure of pro-government media.
The fighting was sparked by a government move on Monday to shut down Hezbollah's telecoms network.
At least 11 people, mainly civilians, have been killed and dozens injured in the city in three days of clashes.
The UN Security Council has urged the rival parties to stop fighting amid fears of civil war breaking out.
Lebanon was plunged into civil war between a 1975-90, drawing in Syria and Israel, the two regional powers.
'Cut off the hand'
Analysts say the key to avoiding such a conflict this time may be the neutrality of the army, and its ability to withstand the sectarian tensions.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country long dominated neighbouring Lebanon, said on Friday that the political crisis there was an "internal matter".
He spoke as Beirut media offices owned by Saad Hariri, a leader of the governing coalition, were shut after being attacked by militants loyal to Hezbollah.
The army moved in after gunmen besieged TV station Future News and partially set fire to the offices of al-Mustaqbal newspaper. Mr Hariri's radio station was also silenced.
A compromise was reached for the premises to be taken over and protected by the Lebanese army at the price of going off the air.
'Save Lebanon from hell'
The Lebanese army command has warned its unity is at risk if crisis in Beirut drags on.
Lebanese troops and police guard Future News HQ in Beirut on 9 May 2008
The army is trying not to take sides in the escalating stand-off
Other offices previously manned by Mr Hariri's followers in different parts of central and western Beirut were left burnt out and abandoned.
Within the first few hours of daylight on Friday, much of the fighting appeared to have died away, after a night of constant gunfire and explosions.
But a rocket-propelled grenade hit the fence of the heavily protected home of Mr Hariri in western Beirut's Koreitem neighbourhood, officials said.
Mr Hariri - Lebanon's top Sunni politician - was thought to have been inside at the time.
The urban warfare has shut down Lebanon's port and all but closed the international airport, with burning barricades on major highways in Beirut.
'Misunderstanding'
As Hezbollah fighters move around large swathes of Beirut unopposed, the BBC's Jim Muir in the city says it all amounts to a humiliating blow to the government.
It appears to have badly overplayed its hand in moving to close Hezbollah's telecoms network on Tuesday, says our correspondent.
The government declared illegal the fixed-line network that covers the movement's strongholds of south and east Lebanon and southern Beirut.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the move a "declaration of war" in a speech on Thursday.
Mr Hariri proposed a compromise, calling it a "misunderstanding" and saying the army would have the final say.
He urged gunmen from both sides to withdraw from the streets "to save Lebanon from hell", as he called for a meeting with Sheikh Nasrallah.
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Madness takes over Lebanon.
Militants are fighting in the streets of Beirut. Military guns are on both sides. What is the prospect of such a situation. Aren't the Lebanese fed-up with wars?
23 November 2007
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud left the Baabda presidential palace without handing over the power to a new president. This is the first time since independence in 1943. |
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