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Last update - 09:23 07/05/2008 Hezbollah protests block Lebanese roads in showdown with gov't By The Associated Press Tags: Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon Hezbollah-led opposition protesters blocked streets in central Beirut and on the road to the international airport Wednesday to enforce an anti-government labor strike that has turned into a showdown between the militant Shiite group and Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. Thousands of soldiers and police fanned out in the city and on major highways, deploying armored vehicles at intersections. But security forces largely stayed on the sidelines as the protesters blocked roads with burning tires although they were on alert to prevent any confrontation between pro- and anti-government supporters. The strike was called by labor unions to demand pay raises after they rejected a last-minute government offer as insufficient, but it came against the backdrop of a confrontation between the government and Hezbollah. Advertisement The trouble came as the deep political crisis engulfing Lebanon has worsened economic problems caused by the rising cost of living due to spiraling oil prices and a sharp rise in the euro exchange rate. But just as the country is divided politically into opposition and pro-government camps, the unions were split as well on whether to support the strike. Pro-government political groups and labor unions called on people to ignore the strike, while the opposition urged supporters to take part and join a labor demonstration in Beirut later Wednesday. To enforce the strike, young opposition activists early Wednesday morning began pilling tires and setting them on fire on some major highways in opposition-controlled areas of the city and its southern suburbs. Trucks brought in dirt and dumped it on the main highway to Beirut international airport and several nearby intersections to block access. In some areas, old cars or garbage containers were brought to the middle of streets and set afire. In central Beirut, where an opposition sit-in has paralyzed the commercial heart of the capital since December 2006, black smoke rose from burning tires only a few blocks from Saniora's office, where the prime minister has been holed up for about a year and a half. Labor unions at the country's only airport were taking part in the one-day strike, announcing a six-hour work stoppage starting at midmorning. The strike at the airport was expected to cause the cancelation or delay of 19 incoming and 13 outgoing flights. The strike was largely confined to Shiite Muslim areas of Beirut and its southern suburbs where support for Hezbollah is strong. The strike was largely ignored in Sunni Muslim and Christian areas of the city which support the government. However, many schools were closed because the strike halted buses and authorities wanted to avoid putting students at risk on the roads because of possible unrest. Protesters also blocked highways in southern, northern and central areas of the country to deny motorists' access to Beirut. Lebanon's political crisis took a turn for the worse earlier in the week when the government decided to confront the powerful Hezbollah. The Cabinet on Tuesday decided to remove Beirut airport's security chief over alleged ties to Hezbollah. The government also declared that a telecommunications network used by Hezbollah for military purposes was illegal and a danger to state security. Hezbollah and Shiite political and religious leaders rejected the government's decisions. Shiite ministers have been boycotting Cabinet meetings since 2006. Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist group by the United States and fought Israel in the 2006 war. It has wide support among Shiites in Lebanon, but its backing among the rest of the population has been declining because of its opposition to the government and Shiite-Sunni tensions. The government maintains the armed group cannot set up a state-within-a-state, while Hezbollah accuses Saniora and his supporters of colluding with the United States in trying to crack down on the guerrilla group and disarm it. Lebanon's top prosecutor began investigating allegations that Hezbollah set up cameras near the airport in the Hezbollah strongholds of south Beirut to monitor the movement of anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians and foreign dignitaries. The allegations were made by anti-Syrian, pro-government leader Walid Jumblatt, who has accused Hezbollah of placing the cameras. Jumblatt suggested Hezbollah was planning to bomb aircraft to assassinate senior leaders Bookmark to del.icio.us   Siniora vs. Hezbollah The Lebanon prime minister accuses Hezbollah of staging a coup. Plant down - again Palestinians say tha Gaza power plant has closed due to a fuel shortage.   1.   WAKE UP LIBANESE PEOPLE 10:46  |  BOB KING 07/05/08   2.   This is the beginning of the END for Hizb-Iran and Aoun... 12:20  |  Stuart 07/05/08   3.   To 1 - we are trying and need your help 10:44  |  Leb-Lord 08/05/08   4.   From a lebanese man 10:58  |  Zahi 08/05/08   5.   Wake up Israeli 01:17  |  Hatchepsut 11/05/08

Read & React Hezbollah fighters start withdrawing from Beirut Responses: 629 British PM: Israel`s creation one of 20th century`s `greatest achievements` Responses: 346 Ahmadinejad: Israel is a 'stinking corpse' doomed to disappear Responses: 382 Key witness 'fears Olmert may seek to harm him' Responses: 100 Jews bend over backward to stay neutral in U.S. vote Responses: 129 Jerome Segal: Through tough love, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be ended Responses: 151 Rosner's Domain Obama and the Jews: is 61% enough? Who's pushing the US to war with Iran? (WTR) Poll: If Olmert is gone, who should be PM? What Muslims really think? (WTR) The Democrats are fighting over Iran More Headlines 01:57 Hezbollah claims victory as Lebanon gov't U-turns 02:13 ANALYSIS: Clashes in Lebanon have yet to affect Israel 22:48 Olmert to appeal move to hear early testimony from key state witness 22:16 21 Qassams hit the Negev on Saturday, lightly hurting five 03:03 Organizers hope Olmert probe won't cast shadow on Peres conference 01:16 Jewish Republicans are jockeying to win McCain's favor 01:06 ANALYSIS: Hezbollah, Lebanon gov't are boxers girding for next round 22:24 Rabbi testifies in support of Hamas-linked imam facing U.S. ban 03:02 Kfir brigade leads in W. Bank violations 03:24 Tales from a N.Y. cabby: 'My first wife was Muslim, my second Jewish' Previous Editions Select Day 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may 01 may 30 apr 29 apr 28 apr 27 apr

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