2008 conflict in Lebanon

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2008 fighting in Lebanon Map of Lebanon Date May 7 - May 14, 2008 (main phase, sporadic clashes continue) Location Lebanon Result Doha Agreement Belligerents Future Movement Progressive Socialist Party Hezbollah Amal Movement Syrian Social Nationalist Party Lebanese Democratic Party Casualties and losses 27 killed (government loyalists)[1][2][not in citation given] 26 killed, 1 missing (Hezbollah),[3][4][5] [not in citation given] 10 killed (SSNP),[5] 2 killed (LDP),[5] 1 killed (Amal) 34 Lebanese civilians killed,[6] 1 Australian civilian killed,[7] 2 soldiers killed[8] 2 policemen killed

v • d • e Internal conflicts in Lebanon 1958 crisis – Civil War – Dinnieh fighting – 2007 fighting – 2008 fighting

The 2008 fighting in Lebanon ^[9] began on May 7, after Lebanon's 17-month long political crisis spiraled out of control. The fighting was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network and remove Beirut Airport's security chief Wafic Shkeir over alleged ties to Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the government's decision to declare the group's military telecommunications network illegal was a "declaration of war" on the organization, and demanded that the government revoke it.^[10][11]

Hezbollah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to the American-backed government, in street battles that left 11 dead and 30 wounded. The opposition-seized areas were then handed over to the Lebanese Army.^[12] The army also pledged to resolve the dispute and has reversed the decisions of the government by letting Hezbollah preserve its telecoms network and re-instating the airport's security chief.^[13][14]

Rival Lebanese leaders reached a deal on May 21 2008, to end the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war.^[15]

It was the worst violence in Beirut since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war.^[16]

Contents 1 Background 2 May 2008 controversies and protests 2.1 Protests 3 Armed clashes 3.1 May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut 3.2 May 10 - May 12: Aley falls and fighting spreads North 3.2.1 Battle of Mount Barook 3.3 May 13-May 14: The Army intervenes and tensions are defused 3.4 Doha Agreement 3.5 June-July 2008: Clashes continue 4 Reactions 5 Casualties 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Background

Main articles: 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests and 2005-2007 Lebanon bombings

On December 1, 2006, a series of protests and sit-ins began in Lebanon, led by groups that opposed the American-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The opposition group was made up of pro-Syrian, Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). A number of smaller parties were also involved, including the Marada Movement, the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party.^[17] Members of the government are part of the U.S.-backed March 14 Alliance, a coalition of anti-Syrian political parties and former militias that include the Progressive Socialist Party, the Lebanese Forces and the Future Movement. The two groups are also divided along religious lines, the majority of Sunnis supporting the government and the Shi'a supporting the opposition group. Druze aligned with Walid Jumblatt support the government, while those allied to Talal Arslan have backed the opposition.^[18] The Christian community is divided as well, with Michel Aoun claiming to have 70% of the Christian community's support, based on the results of 2005 parliamentary elections.^{[19][20][21][22]} His claims were "undermined" in August 2007,^[21] when Aoun's candidate, little-known Camille Khoury, was elected with less than a 1% margin in the Matn District by-election. He was running against former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel, who was reclaiming the seat of his slain son, Pierre Amine Gemayel.^[23]

Seymour Hersh believed that the U.S was working to weaken and disarm Hezbollah with the help of Saudi Arabia, who was attempting to strengthen extremist Sunni militas as a counterweight to the Shi'a Hezbollah.^[24][25]

Franklin Lamb wrote that the United States and Israel had planned for a possible Israeli strike against Hezbollah targets if Hezbollah attempted to take over the government.^[26]

Borzou Daragahi, the L.A. Times bureau chief in Beirut, wrote that the Saudis had disowned the attempt by Sunnis in Lebanon to found a militia in the guise of a security force named Secure Plus.^[27]

As'ad AbuKhalil, professor of political science at the California State University, Stansilaus, stated that he believed the US was attempting to fund and arm Sunni militias to instigate a Sunni-Shiite conflict.^[28]

Pepe Escobar wrote in the Asia Times that the US gave $60 million to the Lebanese Internal Security Force at the Interior Ministry, and accused the US of fomenting sectarianism in Lebanon.^[29]

[edit] May 2008 controversies and protests

In May 2008 the tensions between the government and the opposition escalated when the government announced a series of security decisions. Heads of the American-backed government accused Hezbollah of preparing for a terrorist attack, which was dismissed by Hezbollah as scaremongering.^[30][31]

On May 3, leaders of the government accused Hezbollah of setting up a hidden, remote-controlled camera in a container park overlooking the main runway of Beirut's international airport. The accusation is that the Shia movement, which controls the suburbs where the airport is located, was spying on air traffic in preparation for a possible attack, perhaps aimed at assassinating one of the prominent pro-government figures who fly in and out of the facility. Hezbollah dismissed the accusations as scaremongering, saying that those who leveled them were simply parroting a US campaign against it and other groups which are resisting Israel.^[31] Later, Al Jadeed, a Lebanese TV station, reported that the cameras could not see above the airports security wall and therefore would be useless to spy on the airport. ^[32]

On May 6, 2008 the government attempted to disable Hezbollah's private communications network. Hezbollah is reported to operate an extensive fixed-line telecommunications network covering its strongholds of south and east Lebanon, and the southern suburbs of Beirut. The telecommunication network was a key element in the 2006 Lebanon War, which shocked the Israeli military of Hezbollah's efficient communications with its fighters across Lebanon.^{[citation needed]} Hezbollah has made clear that it regards the private network as an integral part of its defensive measures against Israel. The government also ordered the commander of security at Beirut international airport, Brig Gen Wafiq Shuqeir, to return to the Army Command who had been suspected of sympathizing with Hezbollah, and accused of failing to deal with a secret camera allegedly set up by Hezbollah in a container overlooking the main runway, to monitor the movement of aircraft and VIPs.^[30]

On May 7, 2008 a labor strike which was planned before the month of May turned into violence when pro-government and opposition gunmen started their shootings, leading to clashes among the two groups in Beirut. The next day, Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah stated on television that the telecommunications network was essential in the militant group's resistance against Israel. Nasrallah further said that the government was declaring war by threatening to shut down the group’s private communications network and persecuting those controlling it.^[33]

[edit] Protests

On May 7, 2008, a work strike led by country's union federation to demand higher wages and decry high prices. The opposition threw their weight behind the strike which paralyzed large parts of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The clashes began when government and opposition supporters in a Muslim sector of Beirut exchanged insults and began throwing stones at each other.^[34] Witnesses said security forces intervened and gunshots were heard, apparently troops firing in the air to disperse the crowds. A soldier and a cameraman for Hezbollah's Al Manar television were among the injured from the stone throwing. Earlier in the same area, a stun grenade thrown into a crowd lightly injured three protesters and two soldiers.

Around the city, protesters blocked roads with burning tires. The road toward Beirut international airport was blocked and cut off from the rest of the city.

[edit] Armed clashes

Main article: Timeline of the 2008 fighting in Lebanon

[edit] May 8 - May 9: Takeover of Beirut

On May 8, 2008, minutes after Nasrallah's comments referring to pro-government actions as "a declaration of open war",^[35] heavy street battles began. Fighting began along Corniche Mazraa, an avenue separating Shiite and Sunni areas, spreading to the western, southern and eastern parts of Beirut where Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods overlapped. Combat was heard near the office of Lebanon's Sunni religious leader - an ally of the pro-American government - and near the official residence of the opposition-aligned parliament speaker. Machine guns and rocket propelled grenades were used by both sides. Opposition militants overran three pro-government offices. More barricades were set up, closing major highways. A CNN correspondent, pinned down with a Lebanese army unit during an intense gun battle, reported that government forces had not reacted to the violence. The army decided not to intervene in the clashes for fear of a breakup of the army along sectarian lines, which happened during the civil war.^[35]

Fighting from the previous day lasted throughout the night and only stopped for a short time a little bit after dawn on May 9, 2008. However, the fighting quickly resumed after the brief lull.

Late in the afternoon, pro-government forces in Beirut had surrendered their arms to the Hezbollah-led opposition. The opposition moved in and took over their abandoned positions in west Beirut, virtually taking over more than half of the capital. About 100 opposition militants in camouflage uniforms marched down Hamra Street. The main pro-government TV station, Future Television & Future News, was occupied by opposition fighters and forced onto close^[36][37]

Later that evening sporadic clashes erupted in Sidon, where two civilians were killed; and in Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley where a woman was killed.Also, eight people were killed near the town of Aley in clashes between government supporters and opponents. Seven Hezbollah fighters were among the dead.^[4][38]

[edit] May 10 - May 12: Aley falls and fighting spreads North

On May 10, 2008, a funeral procession was attacked by a shop-owner whose shop was burned down by Sunni militants, leaving six people dead. An Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting said the attack came as a procession of 200 people headed toward a nearby cemetery to bury a 24-year-old pro-government supporter killed in previous fighting.^[39] At least 14 people were killed in northern Lebanon in the town of Halba in clashes, as government loyalists raided an office of the SSNP. 10 of the dead were SSNP members, three were government loyalists and one was an Australian citizen who was trying to get information at the SSNP offices about evacuating from the city.^[40][7] Meanwhile, in a mountain town east of Beirut a pro-government Druze group kidnapped three Hezbollah members and shot and stabbed two of them to death. One other person was killed in fighting in Sidon and two soldiers died in fighting east of Beirut.^[41] At least 40 people have been killed, four days after Beirut street battles have ignited.^[42]

On the other hand, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said the decision on the communications issue would be dealt with by the army.^[43] The Lebanese army said it had frozen measures taken by the government against the Hezbollah movement, and called for all armed militants to withdraw from the streets.^[44] Then Hezbollah's TV station, Al-Manar, announced that Hezbollah-led opposition forces would withdraw all their gunmen from Beirut in compliance with the Lebanese army's request, but a civil disobedience campaign will continue until the group's demands are met.^[43]

During the night between May 10 and May 11, heavy fighting broke out between Hezbollah sympathisers and supporters of the government in Tripoli. One woman was killed.^[45]

On May 11, Beirut was quiet, after control of areas seized by the opposition was handed to the Lebanese army. Many roads in the capital remained blocked, including the airport road, as the opposition continued a campaign of civil disobedience. In Tripoli, Sunni supporters of the government had reportedly been fighting opposition followers in the Alawite dominated Jabal Mohsen area with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. ^[46]

[edit] Battle of Mount Barook

Heavy fighting broke out in Mount Lebanon between pro-government Progressive Socialist Party militiamen and opposition forces - mainly LDP, SSNP and Tawhid Party. The clashes started in Aytat, near Kayfoun and soon expanded to cover many spots in Mount Lebanon including Baysur, Shuweifat and Aley. Artillery and mortars were used for the first time during these battles. A ceasefire agreement was supposed to take place at 18:00 of the same day, but fighters from both sides continued to exchange fire. Negotiations were ongoing for the PSP militiamen to surrender their positions to the Lebanese Army.^[47]

The battles at Aley stopped for several hours, but the two sides clashed again in Mount Barook to the southeast shortly before midnight. Barook separates the Druze heartland of Shouf from the mainly Shi'ite southern end of the Bekaa Valley. That night Hezbollah's fighters deployed from southern Beirut to the Qmatiyeh area, taking up position in the woods and dense undergrowth surrounding the village to protect its residents from pro-government Druze incursions. There was initially an attack by Druze who were members of the PSP militia but were soon beaten back. After that Hezbollah went on the offensive and attacked their rival's positions. The Druze fighters had fought the Hezbollah militants from dug-in positions left over from the 1975-90 civil war. The Druze used snipers, mortars and even twin-barreled 23 mm anti-aircraft guns to blast at the advancing Hezbollah. However, opposition fighters were backed up by Katyusha rockets fired from southern Beirut in support of the Hezbollah offensive. Opposition forces bombarded the pro-government Druze area with artillery while ground forces attacked Druze positions using rockets and machine guns.^[48] After several hours of fighting Hezbollah managed to overrun the PSP positions. By morning the pro-government Druze fighters agreed to a surrender and control of several villages loyal to Lebanon's pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had been handed to the army^[46]. All of their weapons were confiscated by Hezbollah and the PSP retreated from the region.^[49] 17 Hezbollah fighters died in the battle,^[50] 11 of them in the mountain town of Chouweifat,^[51] along with at least 17 PSP militiamen and two civilians.

After a day of relative quiet in Beirut renewed gunfire was heard in the commercial area of Hamra in the western part of the city shortly after midnight on May 12. The fighting occurred near the home of Future Movement leader Saad al-Hariri. A two-man Al Jazeera camera crew suffered injuries while trying to film the fighting and were evacuated by the Lebanese army.^[52]

Meanwhile in Tripoli clashes left one person dead and at least six others wounded.^[52][6] The Army stated that if the clashes did not end by morning of the next day they will intervene and use force if necessary to end the fighting.

[edit] May 13-May 14: The Army intervenes and tensions are defused

Starting at 06:00 a.m. May 13, local time, the Lebanese Army started to deploy to prevent any further fighting. After moving its headquarters, Future TV was back on the air by 4:30 p.m.^[53]

Lebanese Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis announced that the port of the bay of Jounieh will start accommodating ships and ferries for Lebanese arriving from and leaving to Cyprus.^[54]

There was less fighting then during the previous days and the rival militias took the chance to bury their dead.

On May 14, Lebanon's pro-government and opposition factions, had reached a deal to revoke the two decisions that sparked the fighting.^[55] On the same day, the opposition ended its civil disobedience campaign. Also, this day was when the airport had opened for one day to allow a plane to arrive for a meeting and then departure again.^[56]

[edit] Doha Agreement

Main article: Doha Agreement

Rival Lebanese leaders clinched a deal on Wednesday, May 21, 2008, to end the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war.^[15] The deal is considered a victory for the Lebanese opposition as they secured their demand for veto-wielding power in the new government and a new electoral law which could benefit the opposition in the 2009 parliamentary elections.^{[citation needed]} The agreement was considered by various Middle East analysts of being another blow to the Bush administration's policies in Lebanon.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] June-July 2008: Clashes continue

Since the Agreement there have been frequent minor security incidents between supporters of the opposing factions. Delays in the formation of a national unity government as stipulated in the accord, have raised fears of a further deterioration in the security situation.^[57]

On June 17, three people were killed in clashes betwen pro- and anti-government residents in two villages in the Bekaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, according to a Lebanese military official.^[58]

On June 22 and June 23, at least nine people, eight civilians and a policeman, were killed and 55 others were wounded in Tripoli, in clashes between pro-government Sunnis based in the Bab el-Tabaneh district and pro-Syrian Alawites from Jabal Mohsen. Machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the clashes, which started around four in the morning.^[59]

Also on June 22, a senior officer of the Islamist group Jund al-Sham, Imad Yassin, was wounded by a bomb, along with another Islamist, in the Palestinian refugee camp Ain al-Hilweh.^[60][61]

Between July 25 and July 26, fierce sectarian clashes raged in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, killing nine people including a boy. Militants from the rival Sunni Muslim and Alawite communities fought each other with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons.^[62]

[edit] Reactions

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly reaffirmed U.S. support for the Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and reached out to key world leaders for ways to buttress his government. "We will stand by the Lebanese government and peaceful citizens of Lebanon through this crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm," she said in a statement. Rice denounced the violence and singled out Syria and Iran for backing Hezbollah, which she accused of trying "to protect their state within a state."^[8]

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini has called on national unity among the Lebanese adding that the situation can be "managed through talks and consensus-building." Hosseini blamed the U.S. and Israel for the ongoing hostilities in Lebanon. ^[63]

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal accused Iran of "backing what happened in Lebanon, a coup" and called for "all regional parties to respect the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon and to stop meddling in its affairs and inciting sectarian tensions". He had further accused Hezbollah of taking "violent, offensive measures, which aim at an annihilation of people."^[64]

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora urged the Lebanese army to restore order, assuring that the country won't fall to Hezbollah after four days of clashes.^[65]

On May 11 Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo have urged an immediate halt to the fighting in Lebanon and agreed to send a ministerial delegation to Beirut to try to mediate an end to the crisis.^[46]

[edit] Casualties

During the heavy battles in Beirut and east and north of the city 84 people were killed and 200 were wounded while one Hezbollah supporter was missing.^[6] Among the dead were confirmed to be 27 pro-government and 39 opposition fighters, two soldiers^[8] and 16 civilians, 15 Lebanese and one Australian.^{[1][2][66][5]}

Another 12 people were killed in June, including one policeman.

And a further nine died in July, also including one policeman.

[edit] See also

• 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Deal for Lebanese Factions Leaves Hezbollah Stronger
• Doha Compromise is 'No Cave In to Hezbollah'

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