Riots swept Beirut on Wednesday as supporters of the Hezbollah opposition and government backers clashed in neighborhoods on Wednesday, leaving at least eight people injured.
Clashes between opposition and ruling coalition supporters erupted in west Beirut's Cornish Mazraa at about 8:40 a.m. (0540 GMT). Five people, including two soldiers and three civilians, were injured when masked men throw a sound bomb on the area.
Both sides accused each other of starting the riots. Hezbollah's Al Manar TV said a supporter of majority leader MP Saad Hariri's Moustaqbal party threw a sound bomb on opposition demonstrators.
Later, followers of the pro- and anti-government camps engaged in violent clashes in the residential districts of the capital. The Lebanese army troops had to stand between rival camps to prevent conflict.
Tension escalated as staccato bursts of automatic rifle fire echoed across several Beirut districts amidst efforts by army and police patrols to contain the violence, according to local Naharnet news website.
The unrest paralyzed Beirut international airport for six hours. Air navigation through Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport halted early Wednesday when opposition protestors blocked roads leading to the facility, and only got resumed six hours later. But the airport roads were blocked till 6:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT).
A total of 32 incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled, local Naharnet reported, adding that a number of small jets were removed from the airport to nearby airports.
The clashes coincided with tension caused by a major demonstration called by the Labor Union, which was scheduled later in the day to protest workers' living conditions in addition to a general strike. But it was cancelled due to the closure of roads.
Lebanese General Federation of Labor Unions (GFLU) called for a massive strike throughout Lebanon on Wednesday to protest against a modest increase of monthly salaries. The GFLU has warned the government it would go on strike if the cabinet did not approve a pay raise by 63 percent.
The GFLU has demanded increasing the minimum wage to 960,000 Lebanese pounds (about 640 U.S. dollars). But the Lebanese cabinet announced Tuesday morning to raise the minimum wage from 300,000 (200 dollars)to 500,000 Lebanese pounds (about 333 dollars).
What's more, tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated sharply on Tuesday when the cabinet said the group's private communication network telephone network as "illegal and unconstitutional", calling it "an attack on the sovereignty of the state."
A similar opposition strike on Jan. 23, 2007 led to serious confrontation between rival Lebanese groups, which left at least 29 wounded.
Lebanon is currently facing the most serious political deadlock since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. For the first time in its history, the presidential seat has been vacant since Nov. 24 of 2007 when former President Emile Lahoud stepped down.
The presidency deadlock deepened the Lebanese political crisis as fears are mounting that failure in reaching a deal on the presidential candidate could result in more violence in the country.
Source:Xinhua
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