Fierce fighting erupts in Lebanon

BEIRUT, May 12: Fierce fighting erupted in northern Lebanon on Monday, further exacerbating tensions after days of deadly sectarian battles that have driven the nation to the brink of full-blown civil war.

At least one man was killed in clashes between supporters of the Western-backed government and militants loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition in the port city of Tripoli, a security official said.

By late afternoon the fighting had died down as the army moved in and appealed to militants to stop fighting and go home.

Lebanon has been rocked by six days of fighting that has left at least 61 people dead and nearly 200 wounded, the worst unrest since the 1974-1990 civil war.

The ruling Sunni-led majority vowed it would not negotiate with Hezbollah at gunpoint, as Arab ministers prepared to send a team to try to end a feud. The showdown saw Hezbollah gunmen seize large swathes of Muslim west Beirut last week, plunging the already fragile nation into fear and uncertainty.

The international community has reacted with alarm to the fighting, which the United States blames on the powerful Muslim group Hezbollah and its Syrian and Iranian patrons.

On Monday, Lebanese troops also moved into the Druze mountains southeast of the capital after firefights between rival factions on Sunday killed at least 16 people, a security official said.

In Beirut, there was an uneasy calm although schools and some businesses were still shut. Some barricades erected by Hezbollah fighters and their allies remained, the road to Beirut international airport was shut for the sixth straight day and a border crossing into Syria was blocked.

The Saudi ambassador in Beirut and his family were among 200 people who managed to reach the nearby island of Cyprus by boat, officials there said.

Clashes turned deadly on Thursday after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused the government of effectively declaring war against his party, and spread to other parts of Lebanon at the weekend.

But opposition fighters withdrew from Beirut’s streets on Saturday after the army acted to overturn two government measures against Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has accused his opposition rivals of staging a “coup” in the multi-confessional nation, which has been without a president for six months because of the political standoff.

“Prior to any national dialogue, we insist on a solemn pledge from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah before the public, Arab states and even Iran, that he will refrain from using his weapons inside the country,” said former president and leading majority figure Amin Gemayel.

Sunni Islamist groups in Tripoli on Sunday had declared they were launching their own resistance there, where one woman was killed in weekend fighting.

On Monday, a security official said three people were wounded when cars with Syrian licence plates came under fire in Tripoli.

Britain condemned the “external interference” in Lebanese affairs.

“This violence is destabilising the lives of Lebanese people and the stability of the region. It must end. All armed groups should withdraw from the streets and allow the Lebanese security forces to restore legitimate order,” said a statement issued on behalf of Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said US concern is “for the safety of the innocent civilians who are caught in the middle in this conflict.” US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a weekend Arab League foreign ministers’ statement “made very clear” that “to use force of arms against one’s own people is something that is clearly illegitimate.” Saudi Arabia warned that the fighting served only “foreign extremists who have undermined every sincere and honourable effort aimed at ending Lebanon’s political crisis,” the official SPA news agency reported.

Arab foreign ministers said after crisis talks in Cairo they will send a delegation to Beirut to try to broker talks between the rival factions. In Beirut, the office of parliament speaker and opposition stalwart Nabih Berri said the delegation would arrive on Wednesday.—AFP