Lebanon: Armed clashes erupt around Beirut

After a day of labor protests by the Hizballah-led opposition workers' union, Lebanon remained tense as a conflict between pro-government and pro-opposition forces seemed inevitable. Road blocks continued by pro-opposition forces throughout Wednesday and into Thursday. It was after a late afternoon press conference by Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah that the situation quickly escalated. Soon after the conference concluded, clashes erupted throughout Beirut. In the Cornish al-Mezraa...
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After a day of labor protests by the Hizballah-led opposition workers' union, Lebanon remained tense as a conflict between pro-government and pro-opposition forces seemed inevitable. Road blocks continued by pro-opposition forces throughout Wednesday and into Thursday. It was after a late afternoon press conference by Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah that the situation quickly escalated. Soon after the conference concluded, clashes erupted throughout Beirut. In the Cornish al-Mezraa neighborhood Shia militants from the opposition-aligned Amal movement clashed with Sunni militants from the government-aligned Future party who fired back from the densely populated neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadide. Many Lebanese are saying the events were reminiscent of the country's bloody 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.
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