Reuters: Lebanon Jan 23 2007
- 17 years ago
Jan. 23 - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslim and Christian protesters blocked roads in Lebanon in a campaign to oust the government.
At least a dozen people have been wounded in gunfire between rival factions.
Reuters reporter Labib Nasir describes the scene.
Jan. 23 - Thousands of opposition protesters in Beirut and around the country block main roads while the Lebanese army stands by.
The roads to Lebanon's only international airport and to Beirut port were blocked and several Arab and international airlines suspended flights to Beirut, though the national flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) made no announcement on its plans.
The opposition campaign, which began on December 1 with an open-ended protest in central Beirut, has been largely peaceful, though one anti-government protester was shot dead in December.
The standoff has raised tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Lebanon, which has a delicate sectarian power-sharing system.
The government is backed by Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri and the opposition includes Shi'ite groups Hezbollah and Amal. Christians are split between the two camps. Leaders allied to the government had called on Lebanese to go to work.
Source:
http://today.reuters.com/
At least a dozen people have been wounded in gunfire between rival factions.
Reuters reporter Labib Nasir describes the scene.
Jan. 23 - Thousands of opposition protesters in Beirut and around the country block main roads while the Lebanese army stands by.
The roads to Lebanon's only international airport and to Beirut port were blocked and several Arab and international airlines suspended flights to Beirut, though the national flag carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) made no announcement on its plans.
The opposition campaign, which began on December 1 with an open-ended protest in central Beirut, has been largely peaceful, though one anti-government protester was shot dead in December.
The standoff has raised tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Lebanon, which has a delicate sectarian power-sharing system.
The government is backed by Sunni leader Saad al-Hariri and the opposition includes Shi'ite groups Hezbollah and Amal. Christians are split between the two camps. Leaders allied to the government had called on Lebanese to go to work.
Source:
http://today.reuters.com/