Sectarian violence rocks Lebanon

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

BEIRUT - Running gunbattles raged in parts of Beirut yesterday after the leader of Hezbollah accused Lebanon's western-backed government of declaring war on his Shiite militant group. At least four people were killed and eight wounded in the capital.

In a grim reminder of Lebanon's devastating 1975-90 civil war, factions threw up roadblocks and checkpoints dividing Beirut into sectarian enclaves on the second day of clashes between Sunni Muslims loyal to the government and Shiite supporters of Hezbollah.

A top Sunni leader went on television urging Hezbollah to pull its fighters back and "save Lebanon from hell." The army, which has stayed out of the sectarian political squabbling that has paralyzed the country for more than a year, did not intervene in the battles.

The chattering of automatic weapons and thumps of exploding rocket-propelled grenades echoed across Beirut. People huddled in hallways or staircases as gunmen rushed from one street corner to the next firing at their foes. Some families fled to neighbourhoods that remained quiet.

"There is so much shooting and explosions outside. Our building is in the middle of the fighting," a terrified woman, Ghada Helmi, told The Associated Press by telephone.

Fighting began along Corniche Mazraa, an avenue separating Shiite and Sunni areas, then spread to other districts. Combat was heard near the office of Lebanon's Sunni spiritual leader, an ally of the government, and near the official residence of the opposition-aligned parliament speaker.

In peaceful neighbourhoods, people jammed into supermarkets rushing to stockpile food while outside gunmen armed with assault rifles and RPGs peered from building entrances or took cover next to shuttered shops.

Soldiers patrolled in armoured personnel carriers trying to keep the warring factions apart. Burning car tires and vehicles, debris and dirt used to barricade streets made the city look like a war zone.

The unrest virtually shut down Lebanon's international airport for a second day and barricades blocked major highways. Hezbollah first blocked roads in Beirut on Wednesday to enforce a strike called by labour unions.