Fierce clashes raged in several Beirut districts shortly after Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to use weapons to defend his party's communications system. Nasrallah, in a closed circuit press conference, accused the government of launching war against Hizbullah, stressing that "this is a new era in which all red lines have collapsed."
"We are in war and they wouldn't be able to predict our reaction," Nasrallah said.
Shortly after his press conference was over, clashes broke out between Hizbullah members and Mustaqbal movement supporters in Beirut districts of Msaitbeh, Ras Nabaa, Mazraa and Basta.
Nasrallah said his wire communications network is a "weapon" vital for Hizbullah's resistance and security of the party's leaders. "The hand that extends to touch the network would be chopped off," Nasrallah threatened.
He also accused Druze leader Walid Jumblat of being the "real prime minister, and (Premier Fouad) Saniora is his poor employee."
The Shiite leader described the Lebanese government as a "black Gang" and said it was trying to change Beirut airport into a "base for the (U.S.) Central Intelligence Agency, The Federal Bureau of Investigations and (Israel's) Mossad." "We wouldn't allow them to do that. Brig Wafiq Shoqeir remains commander of airport security and any officer who tries to take up the post would be treated as a spy," Nasrallah said.
The only way out of the ongoing impasse, according to Nasrallah, is "withdrawing the dark decisions adopted by the black gang."
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
