SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
(photo: AFP)
Unrest, Clashes in Lebanon Following Funeral of Slain Security Chief
Oct 22, 2012
Weekend clashes across Lebanon following the assassination of a security chief spilled into Monday, prompting troops to unleash security operations, and leading to mounting concerns that the uprising in Syria is crossing into the bordering state.
The clashes began when Gen Wissam al-Hassan, a Sunni Muslim and the head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces, was killed in a car bomb on Friday. BBC news reports that
Opposition figures blamed the attack on the Syrian government.
Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those who support the Syrian government - including many Shias - and those mostly from the Sunni community who back the rebels.
Gen Hassan was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
Mr Hassan also had close links to the opposition 14 March alliance and the family of its leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati - a Sunni - offered to resign, but this was rejected by the president.
Intense clashes were seen in Tripoli and Beirut, which left at least 50 wounded and several, including a child, dead.
The army put heavily armed troops on the streets to quell the unrest.
Reuters adds:
The army command said in its statement that Lebanon was going through a critical time.
"We will take decisive measures, especially in areas with rising religious and sectarian tensions, to prevent Lebanon being transformed again into a place for regional settling of scores, and to prevent the assassination of the martyr Wissam al-Hassan being used to assassinate a whole country," it said.
Troops in full combat gear and armoured personnel carriers stood guard at traffic intersections and government offices, with barbed wire and concrete blocks protecting buildings.
Al Jazeera adds that "several people were wounded after the army made a pre-dawn sweep through the district of Tariq Jdideh [in Beirut on Monday] in pursuit of armed men, and automatic weapons and anti-tank rocket fire could be heard."
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Funeral for slain Lebanon official ends in violence
Video from Agence France-Presse shows troops firing tear gas at protesters.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Weekend clashes across Lebanon following the assassination of a security chief spilled into Monday, prompting troops to unleash security operations, and leading to mounting concerns that the uprising in Syria is crossing into the bordering state.
The clashes began when Gen Wissam al-Hassan, a Sunni Muslim and the head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces, was killed in a car bomb on Friday. BBC news reports that
Opposition figures blamed the attack on the Syrian government.
Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those who support the Syrian government - including many Shias - and those mostly from the Sunni community who back the rebels.
Gen Hassan was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
Mr Hassan also had close links to the opposition 14 March alliance and the family of its leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati - a Sunni - offered to resign, but this was rejected by the president.
Intense clashes were seen in Tripoli and Beirut, which left at least 50 wounded and several, including a child, dead.
The army put heavily armed troops on the streets to quell the unrest.
Reuters adds:
The army command said in its statement that Lebanon was going through a critical time.
"We will take decisive measures, especially in areas with rising religious and sectarian tensions, to prevent Lebanon being transformed again into a place for regional settling of scores, and to prevent the assassination of the martyr Wissam al-Hassan being used to assassinate a whole country," it said.
Troops in full combat gear and armoured personnel carriers stood guard at traffic intersections and government offices, with barbed wire and concrete blocks protecting buildings.
Al Jazeera adds that "several people were wounded after the army made a pre-dawn sweep through the district of Tariq Jdideh [in Beirut on Monday] in pursuit of armed men, and automatic weapons and anti-tank rocket fire could be heard."
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Funeral for slain Lebanon official ends in violence
Video from Agence France-Presse shows troops firing tear gas at protesters.
Weekend clashes across Lebanon following the assassination of a security chief spilled into Monday, prompting troops to unleash security operations, and leading to mounting concerns that the uprising in Syria is crossing into the bordering state.
The clashes began when Gen Wissam al-Hassan, a Sunni Muslim and the head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces, was killed in a car bomb on Friday. BBC news reports that
Opposition figures blamed the attack on the Syrian government.
Lebanon's religious communities are divided between those who support the Syrian government - including many Shias - and those mostly from the Sunni community who back the rebels.
Gen Hassan was an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is a member of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam.
Mr Hassan also had close links to the opposition 14 March alliance and the family of its leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati - a Sunni - offered to resign, but this was rejected by the president.
Intense clashes were seen in Tripoli and Beirut, which left at least 50 wounded and several, including a child, dead.
The army put heavily armed troops on the streets to quell the unrest.
Reuters adds:
The army command said in its statement that Lebanon was going through a critical time.
"We will take decisive measures, especially in areas with rising religious and sectarian tensions, to prevent Lebanon being transformed again into a place for regional settling of scores, and to prevent the assassination of the martyr Wissam al-Hassan being used to assassinate a whole country," it said.
Troops in full combat gear and armoured personnel carriers stood guard at traffic intersections and government offices, with barbed wire and concrete blocks protecting buildings.
Al Jazeera adds that "several people were wounded after the army made a pre-dawn sweep through the district of Tariq Jdideh [in Beirut on Monday] in pursuit of armed men, and automatic weapons and anti-tank rocket fire could be heard."
* * *
Al Jazeera video: Funeral for slain Lebanon official ends in violence
Video from Agence France-Presse shows troops firing tear gas at protesters.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.