May 9, 2008
This week, the democratically elected, pro-Western Lebanese government took the bold and unprecedented decision to confront Hizballah. Since its election in 2005, the government had avoided direct conflict with the well-armed Shiite militant political party, but several of the organization’s activities — including apparent preparations for yet another war with Israel — led the government to provoke a showdown. In response to a May 8 cabinet statement that focused on Hizballah’s “attack on the sovereignty of the state,” the Shiite organization took to the streets. In the ensuing violence — the most intense since Lebanon’s civil war — Hizballah began occupying parts of Beirut, leaving the future of Lebanon in doubt. (more…)
