Article

2008-02-21 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Saudi Arabia is warning its citizens against traveling to Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy is urging Americans to be vigilant and French cultural centers in two major Lebanese cities have temporarily closed.

Lebanon's intractable political crisis is no longer business as usual not after the slaying last week of a top fugitive Hezbollah commander, Imad Mughniyeh.

The killing prompted the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to declare "open war" against Israel, which Hezbollah and Iran accused in the assassination. Israel, which denied any role, went on high alert. A Hezbollah retaliation would most certainly draw Israel's wrath and risk igniting another war.

It also could sharpen Lebanon's internal turmoil between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Western-backed government. Over the weekend, government and opposition supporters engaged in fistfights in the streets of Beirut in clashes that injured more than a dozen people and wrecked cars and shops the latest in frictions between the two camps.

And even though most recent incidents of violence have not touched foreigners and have been quickly quelled by the army, they have heightened fears across Lebanon and increased its sense of vulnerability.

They also evoked memories of the civil war, when fighting, bombings, kidnappings and assassinations drove most foreigners out. Plus, scenes from the devastating 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war when many scrambled to flee the country are still on people's minds.

The Saudi advisory, issued Monday, was clearly prompted by Mughniyeh's Feb. 12 killing in a car bombing in Syria and Hezbollah's subsequent retaliation threat. "There is a real Saudi fear ... that the entire region might slide into chaos if Nasrallah carried out his threat to retaliate," said Edmond Saab, executive editor of Lebanon's leading newspaper, An-Nahar.

Posted by Fred 2008-02-21 00:00|| || Front Page|| [9 views ] Top
File under: Hezbollah

#1 sadr will be the catalyst to another iran inspired subversion, the fix is in, Sadr forces will be used to ratchet up tension, attempting to undermining the positive Iraq momentum.

sadr will not be able to resist the spotlight....he's bought and paid for and soon he'll assume the role of titular useful idiot.

Posted by Spiny Gl 2511 2008-02-21 07:33|| 2008-02-21 07:33|| Front Page Top

05:38 Richard+Aubrey
05:37 Frank G
05:33 Besoeker
05:30 Grom the Reflective
05:27 Besoeker
04:32 Bobby
02:43 Elmaper+McGurque1612
02:40 Elmaper+McGurque1612
01:38 Grom the Reflective
00:17 EMS Artifact