Gunfire, bombs, people wounded in Beirut over the strike supported by Hezbollah
Beirut (AsiaNews) - Clashes, injuries, launching of grenades, gunfire, streets blockaded, the international airport closed, with all of its flights cancelled: this is the heavy toll of the strike called for by the GFLU labor union and supported by the opposition, with the declared goal of forcing the Lebanese government to resign. It was a demonstration that had been announced some time before and delayed, but came significantly on the day following the government's decision to suspend from his post the head of airport security, accused of not preventing Hezbollah from installing cameras at the airport to monitor who is coming and going. It is a completely illegal procedure that, for the government, is a further indication of the programme of the Party of God and its allies to create a "state within the state", as also demonstrated by the "secret" telephone switchboard also created by Hezbollah. All of these actions have been communicated to the Arab League, and most see behind them the long arm of Syria and Iran.
Yesterday, to end the strike, the government decided to raise minimum salaries by 300 dollars. It is a measure judged as insufficient by the labour union, which called for the demonstration.
The rest is practically a war bulletin. At seven o'clock this morning, trucks full of dirt and stones began to dump their loads on the streets in order to block access to the city, and to the highway that leads to the airport. Demonstrators with their faces covered provided support for the blockade effort by burning tyres.
Security forces reacted by closing the roads that lead to the homes of some of the majority leaders, like Walid Jumblat. At 8:40, a grenade wounded three people. There were clashes with anti-Syrian groups of the majority. Shortly before noon, the Voice of Lebanon gave news of the arrest of three members of the Shiite movement of Amal - in the opposition - who were found in possession of rifles. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., bombs and gunfire struck an office of the Al Mustaqbal movement, connected to majority leader Saad Hariri. At 2:00 p.m., another office was hit by a rocket, which wounded three. Clashes between the factions intensified. The army repeatedly fired into the air in order to disperse the demonstrators.
From Qatar, where he is visiting, the Maronite patriarch says the situation is "tense due to external intervention and the lack of internal dialogue", and expresses his support for the government's decision to block Hezbollah's telephone switchboard. "There is no country in the world", he comments, "that has two states and two armies".
.png)
