The protests followed a massive bomb blast on Friday which killed a senior Lebanese intelligence officer and three others in the east of the capital.
According to political observers Hezbollah has decided to direct its arms against the Lebanese army and the internal security forces . "This is the reason for the escalation of violence against the armed forces and the Internal security forces " , Ahmad Yasseen, a political observer told Ya Libnan
The latest deaths come at a time of acute political instability in Lebanon as deadlock between pro-Syrian and pro-Western parties drags on.
Initially the protest started near the Mar Mikhael church in the Chiah district a Hezbollah stronghold east of Beirut
The protesters burned rubber tires and tried to block the roads
The fifth regiment of the army intervened by trying to reopen the roads but the protesters opened fire at the army .
There was also sniper fire from nearby areas
The protests later expanded to:
- Gallerie Semaan area in east Beirut
- Mar Elias neighborhood in Beirut
- Ain el Rommaneh , a Christian suburb in East Beirut
- Sidon ( Saida) Road
- Beirut Airport road
- Nabatiyeh in south Lebanon
- Sidon ( Saida ) - Tyre ( Sour) main road in south Lebanon
- Ahmad Hassan Hamze 35, a Shiite Amal official was the first killed in the protests today. Initial reports said he was killed by sniper fire
- The name of the second victim who was killed in the protests is Yousef Shukair. Shukair was transferred to Bahman, an Iranian hospital located in the Ghubairi area, a suburb of Beirut and a stronghold of Hezbollah and Amal .
- The identity of the rest of the victims has not been revealed yet, but according to unconfirmed reports all but one of the victims were Hezbollah supporters
Prime Minister Siniora contacted the electricity company chief to inquire about the reasons behind the power cuts. The electricity company has reported that there was no power blackout either before or after the protests .
The electricity company sources also reported that neither Hezbollah nor Amal supporters ever pay for electricity charges . Those citizens that pay have never protested over the blackouts.
As a result of the refusal of Hezbollah and Amal members to pay for electricity charges the heavily indebted Lebanese Government has to subsidize the electricity company .
Lebanon’s Minister of Youths and Sports Ahmad Fatfat condemned the violent protests and said ; "Is it fair for the protesters who are protesting against power cuts and living conditions to shoot at the army ?"
Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah MP ignited further the protests when he said today : “What we see today is the result of the suffering and the pain of the people “
The Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah- led opposition has been blamed for the deteriorating living conditions in Lebanon resulting from their protests to bring down the government of Prime Minister Siniora.
More than two hundred businesses in down town Beirut , where the protest have been going on for nearly 18 months , have closed down , declared bankruptcy and laid off thousands of employees .
The protests in down town Beirut followed the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah which devastated the Lebanese infrastructure and the economy . Two million tourists were expected that summer but couldn’t come because of the war .
Sunday's violence was Beirut's worst since street clashes a year ago between pro-government and pro-opposition supporters.
Top Picture: Hezbollah and Amal supporters set tires on fire as they try to block the main road leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008
Tags: Amal, Fatfat, Hezbollah, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon, Siniora, Syria
