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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Rumors of War in Lebanon | |
| 2011-01-22 | |
| Lebanon's rumor mill is at full throttle, sparking panic and spreading a sense of foreboding, as a seemingly insoluble political deadlock that has left the country without government deepens. A gathering of Hezbollah supporters in many western Beirut neighborhoods on Tuesday sparked rumors of a dry run in preparation for a takeover of the capital. Anonymous mobile telephone text messages and even printed fliers this week have warned citizens to flee the city before all hell breaks loose. "I got a BlackBerry message yesterday saying that the situation was bad and that we should leave Beirut," said one marketing student at the Lebanese American University. "A lot of my friends got the same message." Television channels have been feeding the psychosis, flashing any minor incident or loud sound as latest news. Even the scheduled departure from Lebanon of a Western ambassador this week also sparked rumors she had packed her bags and fled. "Our nerves are frayed," said a resident of Achrafieh, a Christian quarter in eastern Beirut. "Everyone is jumpy and any rumor sends us into frenzy." One woman, whose family is loyal to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, an ally of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah, said she had been called home this week after a relative received a tip-off. "My brother called me yesterday in complete hysterics," said the 25-year-old, who requested anonymity. "He said he had gotten news that something was going to happen that afternoon, and I left my office in Hamra (in western Beirut) and went home," she said. "Nothing happened." Lebanon's rival parties are headed for a showdown Monday, as MPs head to the president's office to appoint a new premier after the Iranian-backed Hezbollah last week toppled the government of pro-Western premier Saad Hariri. The government's collapse capped a long-running standoff over a UN investigation into the 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Saad's father. The deadlock has sparked fears of a repeat of the events of May 2008, when a protracted political crisis spiraled into sectarian fighting that left 100 dead and saw the Hezbollah camp force the closure of the Beirut airport. Alarmed Lebanese have also begun to throng banks across the country, transferring their savings from the local pound into dollars and withdrawing massive amounts, bank officials said. A UN official in Beirut said the organization's staff had also been advised to take extra precautions. "It's incredible how panicked people are, withdrawing money and stocking up on water and food staples," the official said on condition of anonymity.
While embassies have not yet sent out travel warnings to their citizens in Lebanon, international students have been advised by some embassies to leave the country before the situation worsens, university officials said. "Some Arab embassies including Jordan and Saudi Arabia called their students yesterday and advised them to leave the country given the current situation," an American University official said on condition of anonymity. "Up until now, no one has left, but the university has asked all students to stay in their dorms and remain in contact with the dean of students." Meanwhile, Lebanese across the country are doing their best to carry on with their daily lives. But they cannot shake off the hovering fear that the next round of deadly violence is just around the corner. "It's obvious that something is going to happen. After so many years, you learn to read the signs. All these feuding politicians are definitely not going to sit down and say a prayer together," said bus driver Hussein Ezzedine. "There will be a war, and it will be soon. That's what I believe," the 56-year-old said. | |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #3 IMO POLITICAL ISLAMISM. i.e. "fair-n-benevolent", "democratic", "POWER/GOVT-SHARING" seems to be the priority for now in the MIDDLE EAST + NORTH AFRICA. Again, towards 2012 IRAN WILL NUCLEARIZE BUT WILL PREFER TO BE ON THE MEDIA + GEOPOL DEFENSIVE FOR A WHILE, i.e. TO NOT BE THE ONE TO INITIATE ANY DE FACTO WAR AGZ THE US-ISRAEL - can't say the same for Starving NUC NORTH KOREA, IMO whose focii is COVERTLY PREVENTING ANY SORT OF CHINESE TAKEOVER OF NORTH KOREA, VIA WAR ANDOR NORMAL ECONOMIC ATTRITION [which ROK = South Korea also shares]. NORTH KOREA-SPECIFIC PRESERVATION OF POWER + STATE SOVEREIGNTY > either RISING CHINA concedes to US MILPOL ENTRENCHMENT IN NE ASIA.e.g. REGIONAL = "JOINT" MISSLE DEFENSE; or the US unilater WITHDRAWS ITS MIL PRESENCE FROM ROK + JAPAN [Taiwan] in deference to NE Asian Allies. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-01-22 23:17 |
| #2 Back to the 80's, Lebanon style... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-01-22 14:00 |
| #1 IMHO part of a campaign to wear everyone else down. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-01-22 13:09 |