Beirut was under siege today by an orchestrated band of hooligans in order to demonstrate their ability to take control by force if things don't go their way politically. The facade of "national unity" was actually an open threat to democratically elected government: Give in to our demands or here's a taste of what we are capable of.

In a Lebanon struggling to recover from the war introduced by Hezbollah in July 2006, the streets of Beirut turned to chaos as the truth behind the so-called "peaceful protests" was unveiled on Tuesday. Thousands of misguided hooligans received orders from their leadership to shut down Beirut by any means possible.

In the name of "national unity", Hezbollah turned their forces on the Lebanese people, something they swore would never happen.

Three people died in vein in what Hezbollah and Aounist supporters took part in what they still believe are "democratic" and "peaceful" protests.


Hezbollah's reckless leadership turned Lebanon into a war zone for the second time in six months. Who would have thought that Hezbollah would emulate Israel's actions in the recent war by filling the Beirut sky with dense black smog?

Just as Israel isolated Lebanon and shut down its airport in July '06, Hezbollah proved today that they are capable of the same evil, granting Lebanon it's spot back on the esteemed travel warning lists of foreign countries for months to come.

Beirut looked eerily like Gaza on this dark day. Hezbollah supporters were quick to engage in stone throwing, openly called their actions an "Intifada".

Over a hundred people were injured in the "peaceful" protest.

The resilient citizens of Lebanon showed their disgust with the chaos inflicted, many taking it upon themselves to re-open the streets in their neighborhoods, leading to clashes with protesters.

Hezbollah and its allies are trying to win the hearts and minds of the Lebanese - today they failed miserably.

If paralyzing the country, creating maximum turmoil and dividing the country further were on Hezbollah's agenda - they succeeded glowingly.

View Ya Libnan's Gallery of today's event