Prime Minister Fouad Siniora declared Monday a national day of mourning and ordered schools and universities closed.
"This is an hour of sadness. Our country is passing through the most dangerous times," he said in a late Sunday night statement.
"I call on all the people to put their trust in the army at these most difficult times and await the results of the investigations that the army and the security services are undertaking," Siniora added.
In response to questioning by Siniora Electricite du Liban ( Lebanon’s only public power utility company ) , denied reports of extended blackouts in the southern suburbs. The sudden outage of last week was caused by a cable that was damaged by drilling which was promptly repaired.
The violence erupted yesterday when stone-throwing protestors blocked the Mar Mikhael road in the Chiah neighborhood with burning tires protesting power blackouts. The violence spread to other areas of Lebanon
- 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
The initial violence escalated when Ahmad Hassan Hamza 35 , an official with the Amal which is headed by Hezbollah ally Speaker nabih Berri was killed.
"Hamza has passed away after being shot in the back," an Amal official said, adding that he was unable to identify the source of the fire.
"The situation must be contained. We appeal to all the people who are on the streets to go home so that security forces can restore calm to the region," Amal MP Ali Hassan Khalil said.
Khalil insisted that Amal was not behind the protests, saying: "We believe that such actions do not resolve the demands being made by the protesters."
While Amal tried to calm the situation Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah MP ignited the protests when he said yesterday : “What we see today is the result of the suffering and the pain of the people “
Initial reports said that Hamze was killed by sniper fire . Orange TV , General Michel Aoun’s station showed footage of snipers on rooftops
The other victims were four Hezbullah supporters , a rescue worker and a civilian. At least 40 people were injured. The first Hezbollah supporter that was killed is Yousef Shukair.
The Lebanese army arrested a large number of men overnight according to media reports
The Hezbollah - led violence and riots swept the southern suburbs of Beirut, which are strongholds of Hezbollah .
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.
Youths wielding sticks and iron bars pelted cars with stones and setting some on fire while the army was out in force in a bid to prevent the riots from spreading to nearby Sunni and Christian districts.
The riots were the worst since January 2007 when seven people were killed in clashes between students loyal to rival camps, prompting the army to impose a brief curfew for the first time since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Top Picture: Hezbollah supporters carry the picture of Mahmoud Mansour, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern Dahiyeh suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. Mansour was one of the Hezbollah supporters that was killed during yesterday's riots
Mourners carry the picture of slain Amal member Mahmoud Ajouz, during his funeral procession, in Shiyah, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 28, 2008.
Shiite Amal group members carry the coffins of Amal official Ahmad Hamzeh and a comrade Mahmoud Ajouz, wrapped in green party flag, in Shiyah south of Beirut, Lebanon Monday, Jan. 28, 2008.
Hezbollah members hold the picture of their colleague, paramedic Mostafa Amhaz who was killed in the street violence that erupted the day before, during his funeral procession in Beirut's southern Dahiyeh suburb, Lebanon, Monday, Jan. 28, 2008.
Tags: Amal, Hezbollah, Iran, Lebanon, riots, Syria, Violence
