Lebanon gripped by bloody schism

Arms paralyze daily life, Beirut turns into battlefield

Saudi Arabia warns of blind sedition only benefiting extremists

Hariri calls for ending siege on Beirut, Nasrallah threatens whoever touches his weapons

Mubarak discusses Lebanon issue with Sultan Qaboos, Yemeni president

UNSC reiterates support for Lebanese institutions, Washington brandishes sanctions against Hezbollah

An official source has stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia follows with deep concern and resentment the sorrowful escalation witnessed at the Lebanese arena nowadays, calls on the Lebanese brothers with all their political trends to listen to the voice of wisdom and language of reason and puts Lebanon's interest above any consideration.

The Kingdom calls on parties standing behind the escalation to reconsider their calculations and to realize that the involvement of Lebanon in a blind strife will not achieve victory for any party except for the foreign forces of extremism which have been disrupting all sincere and honest efforts to end the political crisis in Lebanon and to achieve reconciliation between the Lebanese; and these forces have been disrupting the Arab League initiative in this regard.

The Kingdom affirms that it has been proceeding with all its potentialities to work for the restoration of security, safety and unity to Lebanon, also stressing that it will spare no efforts to assist Lebanon and to stand by it in defending its legitimacy, independence of political decision and national unity.

Hezbollah fighters, their guns blazing, seized control of west Beirut on Friday after three days of deadly street battles with pro-government foes pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.

The United States warned that the Shiite movement must be held accountable for the violence and said it was working with Lebanon's neighbors and the UN Security Council on steps to do so.

Convoys of triumphant opposition gunmen firing into the air and flashing victory signs took to the streets after routing Sunni militants loyal to the Western-backed government of the divided nation.

As the fighting eased, the army and police moved across areas now in the hands of Iranian- and Syrian-backed opposition forces which have been locked in an 18-month power struggle with the ruling coalition.

But as foreigners scrambled to leave it was unclear what the immediate future would hold, amid fears the protracted political feud could plunge Lebanon back to the dark days of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Although the guns had largely fallen silent in the besieged capital, a security official said two opposition militants were killed in fighting south of Beirut.

A woman and her husband were also killed in the southern city of Sidon and another woman was killed in Bar Elias in the Bekaa Valley, taking the toll over three days of unrest to 16.

Both sides appeared unwilling to give any further ground on Friday, with Hezbollah insisting that the roadblocks that have paralyzed much of the nation would remain until the government meets its demands.

"We are not carrying out a coup -- all of this is related to the government's decisions," an opposition official said. "We are offering partnership... and they want to monopolies power and limit our share."

But Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Fatfat ruled out any chance of the government going back on its decision to probe Hezbollah's private communications network -- the trigger for the latest unrest.

"It would be easier for the government to resign than to revoke its decision," Fatfat told AFP.

Shiite gunmen fought running battles with Sunni government loyalists, routing them from their strongholds and forcing the closure of media outlets run by the family of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri.

Dozens of people were also wounded in the fighting which escalated on Thursday after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called a government crackdown on his powerful militant group a declaration of war.

Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, hailed Friday's events as a "victory for Lebanon."

The unrest triggered urgent international appeals for calm, amid fears that any possible civil war could spread to the region.

Arab foreign ministers were set to meet on the crisis on Sunday amid regional Sunni Muslim fears about Shiite Iran's influence in Lebanon.

Lebanon's feud is widely seen as an extension of the confrontation pitting the United States and its Arab allies and Israel against Syria and Iran, which back Hezbollah, regarded as a "terrorist" group by the West.

The White House called the fighting proof of the danger Hezbollah poses to the region.

"Hezbollah's relationship with Iran and Syria, as well as its history of international terrorism and provision of lethal support and training to Iraqi-based extremist groups, demonstrates the threat it poses to international peace and security," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"The United States is consulting with other governments in the region and with the UN Security Council about measures that must be taken to hold those responsible for the violence in Beirut accountable," he said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington would support Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in the standoff.

"Seeking to protect their state within a state, Hezbollah has... demonstrated its contempt for its fellow Lebanese," she added.

In Brussels EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also assured Siniora of the European Union's "full support."

Earlier Christian Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Hezbollah of launching "an armed coup... that is counter to the constitution... and democratic principles."

Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in Lebanon, was the only faction allowed to keep its weapons after the civil war to fight Israeli forces occupying the south.

In west Beirut, most shops and businesses remained shuttered while tanks rolled through the streets and riot police and troops patrolled but with orders not to intervene in the conflict.

In scenes reminiscent of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon was largely cut off from the outside world, with the airport and Beirut port shut and key highways blockaded.

Hundreds of people flooded border crossings with Syria to escape the violence and foreign governments began putting evacuation plans in place.

An airport official said all Friday's flights were cancelled as the main road from Beirut was barricaded by Hezbollah.

"As soon as they open the road, the flights will resume." Lebanon's long-running political standoff, which first erupted in November 2006 when six pro-Syrian ministers quit Siniora's cabinet, has left it without a president since November, when Damascus protégé Emile Lahoud stepped down.

Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed the violence was fomented by arch-foe Iran to further what he said was Tehran's goal to control all of the Middle East. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria -- Iran's closest regional ally -- said the unrest was a purely "internal affair" but called for dialogue.

Beirut - Lebanon's Sunni Muslim Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani accused the Iranian-backed Shiite movement late Wednesday Hezbollah of "invading" Beirut. "This is clearly an invasion of the city by an armed group," Qabbani said in a televised statement, referring to the blocking of main roads leading to the capital by Hezbollah to protest the high cost of living.

"We call on the Arab Muslim countries to immediately stop such actions by Hezbollah, because Lebanon is for Muslims and Christians together," the Grand Mufti said.

"Hezbollah is today trying to impose its hegemony as a political party on Lebanon, by kidnapping the central of the capital and today Beirut International airport is being kidnapped," he said.

Unconfirmed reports indicated earlier that Hezbollah was planning to set up tents near Beirut airport, like they did in downtown Beirut on December 1, 2006 when they blocked the road near the governmental palace. The camp is still in downtown Beirut.

"I call on Hezbollah leaders to pull its militants from the streets of Beirut and follow God's will. Sunni Muslims are fed up with such violations of their freedom and dignity, as well as all Lebanese," he said.

The Grand Mufti ended his statement by saying: "Let God be the witness that I have delivered the message." Hezbollah followers started from the early hours Wednesday to close roads by sand barricades especially the road leading to Beirut international airport.

The opposition followers also stormed two offices for the Sunni Muslim Future current movement, headed by majority leader Saad Hariri, in Ras al Nabaa.

Owing to the intensified situation, the union later in the day cancelled their demonstration to avoid more tension on the streets which wounded at least five people.

The strike was called by the union to force the government to raise the monthly minimum wage which has been unchanged since 1996.

Although the cabinet on Tuesday agreed to a 130-dollar increase a month to 330 dollars, the General Confederation of Labor Unions said it was insufficient.

The federation is demanding that the minimum wage be increased to 600 dollars but the government has balked at such a rise, and Finance Minister Jihad Amour has said it could lead to rampant inflation.

The scenes were reminiscent of an anti-government protest on January 23, 2007 that led to some of Lebanon's worst domestic strife since the country's 1975-90 civil war.

Lebanon has been gripped by a deep political crisis, and Hezbollah has been leading a campaign against Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's government since November 2006. The standoff has left Lebanon without a president for five months.

The tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated sharply Tuesday after the cabinet accused the group of violating Lebanon's sovereignty by operating its own communications network and installing spy cameras at the airport.

The government, supported by the United States and a number of Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, also removed the head of Beirut airport security in another challenge to Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria.

The Shiite group however said the communications network was part of a security apparatus in its ongoing fight against Israel.

A private telephone network built by the Shiite Hezbollah organisation is at the centre of a political storm that has brought Lebanon perilously close to a new civil war.

The landline network, which Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said was installed with the help of Hezbollah's patron Iran, was crucial to Hezbollah thwarting a massive Israeli assault in a ferocious war two years ago.

The Israelis jammed cell phone networks to prevent Hezbollah commanders from communicating with units in the field, but the landline network continued to function.

An attack on the network could severely curtail Hezbollah's ability to defend itself from Israel or from an attack by domestic opponents.

Hamadeh recently told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the network had been completed in southern Lebanon, along the Israeli border, as well in the eastern Bekaa Valley, in southern Beirut and several Christian areas in Mount Lebanon.

He said work was currently under way to complete infrastructure in the north. After a marathon cabinet session on Monday, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government declared the network illegal.

In response, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a fiery speech on Thursday that this was a "declaration of war" against Hezbollah, which considers the phones system to be a "major weapon" in its arsenal.

Nasrallah threatened to "cut off the hand" of anyone who tried to meddle with the network. Sixteen people were killed in three days of fighting across the country between opposition supporters and backers of the government before an uneasy calm descended late on Friday.

Hamadeh had said the "issue of communications has been under discussion for a long time, but we were waiting for Hezbollah to respond to the security authorities who requested they stop all infringements.

"Unfortunately Hezbollah refused to stop its activity and continued with its illegal acts. Not only that but Hezbollah has been harboring criminals and fugitives from justice and has been refusing to cooperate with the Lebanese security forces in applying law and order in the areas under their control.

"All this leads us to believe they are establishing a state within the state of Lebanon."

According to the newspaper, Iran has used an Iranian company that was rebuilding homes destroyed during the 2006 war to lay cables for the Hezbollah network. Hamadeh claimed Hezbollah wants to link all the militias in Lebanon, Syria and Iran via a vast network.

"Their goal is not security resistance. They want to connect between all the Iranian and Syrian militias and they want to eavesdrop on everyone," he said.

According to a Lebanese government report, the network is capable of tracking 100,000 numbers using a digital format in which each number is five digits long.

Other reports say the Hezbollah hardware can hook up to Lebanon's main telephone network.

Hamadeh told An-Nahar newspaper that the issue of Hezbollah's communications network is "no longer an issue concerning the security of the resistance, but rather the security of Lebanon and toppling its regime."

On Wednesday, the day fighting broke out in Beirut, An-Nahar said officials had received direct threats warning them not to touch the telecommunications network.

At the same time they were warned to leave Brigadier General Wafiq Shqeir untouched in his job as airport security chief, even after surveillance cameras under Hezbollah control were reportedly found there.

Nonetheless the cabinet announced a decision to transfer Shqeir to the army, removing him amid concerns over his relationship with Hezbollah.

An opposition official told the "NOW Lebanon" website that the phone network is not a new story, and accused those who have brought the issue back to the fore of seeking to trigger an explosion on the domestic political scene.

"The network is identical to Hezbollah's arms and (is) part of its security, and it's obvious that this effort is part of an American agenda to internationalize the country and its security," he said.

There have been reports in the past that the government offered to overlook the network if Hezbollah ends its 16-month-old sit-in in downtown Beirut, which is aimed at toppling the government.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah accused Lebanon's Western-backed government on Thursday of trying to disarm his Shiite militant movement and said it will use weapons to defend itself.

'We have not used our weapons inside the country but we will use them to defend our arsenal,' he said in a rare press conference via video link.

His warning came following a decision by the Western-backed government on Tuesday to probe a communications network Hezbollah has set up and to reassign the head of airport security over his alleged linked to the group.

Nasrallah said the government had crossed 'all the red lines' by adopting these measures and said his group was ready to 'cut the hand' of all those who try to touch Hezbollah's weapons.

Lebanese governing coalition leader Saad al-Hariri proposed a deal to end a conflict with Hezbollah on Thursday, appearing to row back on government decisions which the group had viewed as a declaration of war.

Hariri outlined a deal that would consider the government decisions a "misunderstanding". He was referring to a cabinet decision this week to declare illegal Hezbollah's communications network and remove the head of airport security, who is close to the group, from his post. Hezbollah says the communications network is part of its military infrastructure.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt called over the weekend for a ban on flights from Iran to Beirut's airport, accusing Hezbollah of flying in arms from the Islamic Republic.

At a news conference on Saturday, the outspoken MP also called for the expulsion of Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani and the sacking of the head of security at the airport, General Ayman Shoucair, over his alleged links to Hezbollah.

During the press conference at his residence in Mukhtara, Jumblatt showed reporters what he said was an exchange of mail between Defense Minister Elias Murr and army intelligence about the discovery of surveillance cameras near the airport, which is close to Beirut's southern suburbs, a bastion of Hezbollah support.

Jumblatt accused Hezbollah of setting up the cameras "to monitor the arrival of Lebanese or foreign leaders and to kidnap or assassinate [people] on the airport road."

He charged that Shoucair allowed the cameras to be placed in the area because of his alleged links with Hezbollah. "I am disclosing such information about Hezbollah before people march in my funeral or parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri's funeral," Jumblatt added.

Runway 17 at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, which Jumblatt said is being monitored by Hezbollah, is used by executive jets. Jumblatt and Hariri are among the officials whose jets land on runway 17.

The judiciary has reportedly started an investigation. Jumblatt also reiterated his earlier accusations against Hezbollah about setting up a private phone network in Beirut's southern suburbs, southern Lebanon, and the Bekaa. He also said Hezbollah was in the process of setting up a similar network between the areas of Keserwan and Jbeil in Mount Lebanon.

He added that the alleged network was connected to Syria. The MP said that the southern suburbs, which are controlled by Hezbollah, are a "reservoir for booby-trapped cars."

"The state security forces need permission from Hezbollah security official Wafic Safa before taking any action in Beirut's southern suburbs," he added.

In reaction to Bumboat's accusations, a Hezbollah statement on Saturday described his comments as "mad," and accused him of "stoking the fires of discord" in the politically divided country.

"We expected that Jumblatt and his allies would say something to condemn the continuous Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace, but on the contrary Jumblatt showed up to request banning flights from Iran," the Hezbollah statement said.

"It seems that Jumblatt has committed himself to fight the United States' battle against Iran after he declared that Israel was no longer Lebanon's enemy," the statement added.

"Jumblatt's accusations are aimed at diverting attention from the recent Israeli reports that revealed the failure of a planned Israeli operation that was supposed to take place in the southern suburbs of Beirut," Hezbollah said, referring to recent Israeli media reports.

Hezbollah also accused Jumblatt of wanting to put the airport under the control of the United States.

"Airport security has always created a complex for Jumblatt," it said, "because the airport is very close to an area known for its support for the resistance."

The Hezbollah statement also accused Jumblatt of delivering information to Israel by speaking about the group's private phone network.

"It is left to judicial authorities to decide what to do with people who are delivering information to the enemy and putting the country's security at stake," the group said.

Hezbollah also criticized Jumblatt for "allowing himself" to ask for sacking state security officials, saying he "wants state security officials to work for him."

"We warn him against engaging the Lebanese Army and other security forces in the ongoing political division in the country," Hezbollah added.

Meanwhile, the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces issued a statement condemning Hezbollah and also accusing the group of trying to control the airport.

"After occupying Downtown Beirut and emptying its areas from any presence of state security authorities, Hezbollah is now trying to put the airport under its control," the statement said.

The March 14 Forces also accused Iran's ambassador to Lebanon as "acting as if he was a high commissioner who does not recognize the Lebanese state ... His only mission is to deliver services to Hezbollah."

The statement called on Arab states to help Lebanon resist "Iranian expansionism."

On the other hand, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had a phone call from Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss the situation in Lebanon and Palestine.

Mubarak and also had a meeting with Sultan Qaboos bin Saed of Oman to tackle the Middle East peace process developments in light of the intensive Egyptian efforts and the appeasement in Gaza Strip as well as bids to achieve détente among Palestinian factions.

The talks also dealt with the Davos conference, scheduled to be held this month in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, and the meetings to be held on the sidelines between President Mubarak and U.S. President George W. Bush and other world leaders to activate the peace process on the Palestinian-Israeli track.