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May 9, 2008 6:02 am US/Central
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Hezbollah Gunmen Seize Parts Of Beirut; 11 Killed
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CBS) ―
Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized control of key parts of Beirut from Sunni rivals loyal to the U.S.-backed government Friday, in a dramatic show-of-force certain to strengthen the Iranian-allied group's hand as it fights for dominance in Lebanon's political deadlock.
An ally of Hezbollah said the group intended to pull back, at least partially, from the areas its gunmen occupied overnight and Friday morning - signaling Hezbollah likely does not intend a full-scale, permanent takeover of Sunni Muslim parts of Beirut, similar to the Hamas takeover of Gaza a year ago.
The clashes eased by Friday evening as Lebanon's army began peacefully moving into some areas where Hezbollah gunmen had a presence.
But as Hezbollah gunmen celebrated in the capital's empty streets - including marching down one of its glitziest shopping lanes - it was clear that the show-of-force would have wide implications for Lebanon and the entire Mideast.
Lebanon's army largely stood aside as the Shiite militiamen scattered their opponents and occupied large swaths of the capital's Muslim sector early Friday - a sign of how tricky Lebanon's politics have become.
In one instance, the army stood aside as Shiite militiamen burned the building of the newspaper of their main Sunni rival - acting only to evacuate people and then allow firefighters later to put out the blaze.
The army has pledged to keep the peace but not take sides in the long political deadlock - which pits Shiite Hezbollah and a handful of allies including some Christian groups, against the U.S.-backed government, which includes Christian and Sunni Muslims.
Three days of street battles and gunfights capped by Friday's Hezbollah move have killed at least 11 people and wounded 20 - the country's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.
For Beirut residents and those across the Mideast, it was a grim reminder of that troubled time when Beirut was carved into enclaves ruled by rival factions and car bombs and snipers devastated the capital.
The takeover by the Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah was a blow to U.S. policy as President Bush's administration has been a staunch supporter of the government in Beirut over the last three years.
The fighting also was certain to have implications for the entire Middle East at a time when Sunni-Shiite tensions are high. The tensions are fueled in part by the rivalry between predominantly Shiite Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah, and Sunni Arab powers in the region such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Syria and Qatar agreed Friday that the crisis in Lebanon was an internal issue, and expressed hope that the Lebanese would find a solution through dialogue, reports CBS News' George Baghdadi in Damascus.
The joint statement was issued after a series of discussions earlier in the day between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Qatari Emir Prince Hamad Bin Khaleefa Al-Thani.
"Talks dealt with the current developments in the region, in particular Lebanon, and view points were identical; that the crisis was an internal Lebanese issue," the statement said.
About 100 Shiite Hezbollah militants wearing matching camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles marched down Hamra Street, a normally vibrant commercial strip in a mainly Sunni area of Beirut. They took up positions in corners and sidewalks and stopped the few cars braving the empty streets to search their trunks.
On nearby streets, dozens of fighters from another Hezbollah-allied party appeared, some wearing masks and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
The Hezbollah takeover was peaceful in some neighborhoods as the militants fanned out across the Muslim sector of the city.
Later in the day, Lebanese troops began taking up positions in some Sunni neighborhoods abandoned by the pro-government groups, but did not intervene in the clashes, which had largely tapered off into sporadic gunfire by early afternoon. Some of the gunfire was celebratory in the air by the militants.
A senior security official said the army began deploying on some streets with the end of the clashes and would soon take over the Sunnis' last stronghold of Tarik Jadideh. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
In some cases Hezbollah handed over newly won positions to Lebanese troops, presumably after having made clear to everyone its strength ahead of the next round of negotiations with opponents over the country's political future.
Hezbollah's power was demonstrated dramatically Friday morning when it forced the TV station affiliated to the party of Lebanon's top Sunni lawmaker, Saad Hariri, off the air. Gunmen also set the offices of the party's newspaper, Al-Mustaqbal, on fire in the coastal neighborhood of Ramlet el-Bayda.
Later in the afternoon, anti-government gunmen loyal to a pro-Syrian group attacked and set on fire a two-story building where Hariri's Future TV have their archives. The building, in the western neighborhood of Rawche, is about 100 yards from the Saudi embassy.
With top leaders Hariri of the Sunnis and Druse leader Walid Jumblatt besieged in their residences in Muslim western Beirut, officials of the pro-government majority held an emergency meeting in a mountain town in the Christian heartland northeast of Beirut, said LBC TV, a pro-government Christian station.
Earlier, a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the fence of Hariri's heavily protected residence, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and several ministers were holed up in Saniora's downtown office surrounded by troops and police.
An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss the crisis will be held in two days, said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki.
The fighting was a grim reminder of Lebanon's devastating civil war in which 150,000 were killed and parts of the city wrecked as it was carved into warring sectarian enclaves.
Street clashes exploded into gunbattles Thursday afternoon after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused Lebanon's Western-backed government of declaring war on his Shiite militant group. It was the militant leader's strongest comments since Lebanon's political crisis erupted 17 months ago.
Hariri later went on television urging Hezbollah to pull its fighters back and "save Lebanon from hell." He proposed a compromise that would involve the army, one of the sole national institutions respected by Lebanon's long deadlocked factions.
But Hezbollah and its allies swiftly rejected the offer.
The unrest has virtually shut down Lebanon's international airport and barricades closed major highways. The seaport also was closed, leaving one land route to Syria as Lebanon's only link to the outside world.
The clashes are the latest turn in a test of wills between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Saniora government.
The government, which is allied with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, has only a slim majority in parliament. The two sides have been locked in a power struggle that has kept government at a standstill and the country without a president since November.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)