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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Police: Tent city off limits to Lebanon authorities |
| 2008-01-13 |
| Fire fighters extinguished a blaze that erupted in a tent attended by partisans of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun in downtown Beirut's makeshift Tent city on Saturday. A Source at the Beirut fire brigade told Naharnet tent teams managed to prevent the spread of fire from Tent number three to the estimated 100 other tents that have been erected by the Hezbollah-led opposition in downtown Beirut since Dec. 1, 2006 with the declared objective of toppling the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora , which was democratically elected by the parliament majority The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a fire engine, was parked outside Tent City ( pictured) , which is guarded by Hezbollah members, and fire fighters had to draw "hoses for over 100 meters to combat the blaze." Hezbollah guards also prevented news photographers and cameramen from entering the Tent City to cover the development. A police source told Naharnet the department could not carry out an investigation into the incident because Tent City is "off limits" to the Lebanese state authority. He told Naharnet that tenants of the makeshift city had introduced electric heaters to face the chilly weather of near zero ( C) temperature. "Bad and illegal installation of the heaters led to short circuits and the outbreak of fire," the source said. Lebanon’s parliament majority has accused Hezbollah which is backed by Iran and Syria of acting like a “state within a state.“ |
| Posted by:Fred |