A Hezbollah gunman fires a rocket
propelled grenade during clashes with pro-government supporters in a
street in Beirut May 8, 2008.(Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo
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BEIRUT, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon is treading on eggs
as fears about another civil war rises after riots in Beirut left at least eight
people dead and 40 others injured.
GUNBATTLES SWEEP BEIRUT
The sectarian fighting between anti and
pro-government supporters in Beirut entered the third day on Friday. The crackle
of gunfire and sporadic bursts of rocket-propelled grenade echoed in many
districts of Beirut.
At least eight people were killed and 40 others
wounded during the fighting, security sources told Xinhua anonymously on Friday.
Lebanese Al Mustaqbal (Future) TV, mouthpiece of
majority leader MP Saad Hariri's Future Movement, stopped local and cable
broadcasting Friday morning after opposition gunmen siege the station and then
turned it over to the Lebanese army.
Meanwhile, Al Mustaqbal newspaper building in Ramlet
al-Baida, southwestern Beirut, was attacked with rockets and automatic gunfire
at dawn Friday.
An RPG rocket fell on the residence of Hariri in
western Beirutas clashes broke out at the entrance of the residence. But there
was no word whether Hariri was at the palace at the time of the attack.
Hezbollah gunmen heavily deployed in Beirut,
particularly in districts of Hamra, Karakol Druze, Raouche, Mulla, Talet
el-Khayat, Zaidaniyeh, Ras Nabaa, Basta Zoqaq Blat and Nweiri.
Local press said that Hezbollah gunmen seized nearly
all of the Beirut's Muslim sector from pro-government militants.
FOREIGN EMBASSIES BEGIN
EVAGUATING CITIZENS
As the security situation worsened in Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait began evacuating its nationals from Lebanon.
Kuwaiti Embassy in Lebanon evacuated the first batch
of its nationals residing or studying in troubled Lebanon by land to neighboring
Syria on Friday, local New TV reported.
It added that up to 150 Kuwaiti citizens, including
30 students, boarded large buses heading toward the Lebanese-Syrian border.
On Thursday, a total of 70 Saudis were evacuated by
Saudi Embassy via Syria too, said the report, adding that more were having
arrangement Friday with the embassy to leave.
The Saudi embassy sent SMS messages to Saudi citizen,
telling them to contact the embassy for evacuation, it said.
STILL NO DEAL REACHED
BETWEEN RIVAL BLOCS
Lebanon is facing the most complicated political
crisis since 1975-1990 civil war. Lebanese political rival groups were unable to
achieve a breakthrough to elect a new president for the country, which has been
without a president since Nov. 24 when ex-president Lahoud ended his term.
The tension boiled to deadly clashes after Lebanese
government on Tuesday declared the group's telecommunications network illegal
and a threat to state security.
The cabinet also decided to dismiss the security
chief of the country's only international airport Wafik Shqaier over his alleged
links to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Thursday
that the government made a "declaration of war" which he said would be
confronted in "self defense."
Saad Hariri called Thursday Hezbollah to remove the
siege off Beirut, open the airport and pull out gunmen from the streets to
preserve "the unity of the Muslims."
Hariri proposed a solution for the current crisis
including: putting the two decisions of the cabinet in the custody of the
Lebanese army; withdrawing all gunmen from the streets; electing immediately
Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as president; starting national dialogue
under sponsorship of Gen. Michel Suleiman.
However, local Naharnet news website reported on
Friday that Hezbollah rejected Hariri's suggestions.
UNITED
NATIONS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council urged Lebanese parties on
Thursday to exercise "calm and restraint" following the latest wave of violence.
The council members expressed deep concern about the
"current clashes and unrest in Lebanon, including the blocking of major roads
and Beirut international airport," said a statement read out by Britain's UN
ambassador John Sawers, the 15-member council's president. Full story
WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the United States will continue supporting Lebanon's government led by Prime Minister Fuad Siniorato battle against opposition Hezbollah.
In her statement read at a State Department briefing, Rice accused Hezbollah of "seeking to protect their state-within-a-state." Full story
WASHINGTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States said on Thursday that Lebanon's
Hezbollah must stop its "disruptive activities" as the Shiite militant group is
having conflicts with the government troops.
"Hezbollah needs to make a choice: Be a terrorist
organization or be a political party, but quit trying to be both. They need to
stop their disruptive activities now," U.S. National Security Council spokesman
Gordon Johndroe said. Full story
BEIRUT,
May 8 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Friday began evacuating their
nationals from Lebanon, where riots sweeping the country have left at least
eight dead over the past three days , local New TV reported.
Kuwaiti Embassy in Lebanon evacuated the first batch of
Kuwaiti nationals residing or studying in troubled Lebanon by land to
neighboring Syria on Friday, said the report. Full story
