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Airport Road … Hizbullah's New 'Fortress'

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Written by Editor

Wednesday, 14 May 2008

Sitting next to a mound of dirt blocking the highway leading to Beirut airport, young Hizbullah militants smoke water pipes, drink tea and eat sunflower seeds, patiently waiting for the "collapse" of Lebanon's Western-backed government. For almost a week now, the road has been off-limits to regular traffic with any vehicles that do venture there faced with a wall of dirt dumped by Hizbullah at the start of the sectarian unrest that has shaken the country. Beyond this new demarcation, Hizbullah members have also set up a series of road blocks and carefully check the identity cards of people seeking to cross. Airport staff, including those in charge of the control tower, are forced to walk or use motorcycles to get by the roadblocks, reflecting a surreal scene reminiscent of the days of the 1975-1990 civil war. "All this is but a result of the stubbornness of the government of Fouad Saniora, this American puppet," said Hussein, as he mans one of the roadblocks armed with a walkie-talkie to communicate with fellow activists. The blockade of the airport road came after the government decided to investigate a private telecommunications run by Hizbullah and reassign the head of airport security over his alleged ties with Hizbullah. The measures were interpreted as a declaration of war by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the ensuing violence between pro-government supporters and the Hizbullah-led opposition has left at least 62 people dead. Although Hizbullah agreed to remove its armed gunmen from Sunni areas of west Beirut after the army reversed the government's decision, it has maintained roadblocks and effectively forced the shutdown of the airport as part of a civil disobedience campaign. Young men now play football on the airport highway and pass the time smoking water pipes and drinking tea or coffee while chatting about the situation. "Yesterday, we had a barbecue right here in the middle of the highway and grilled five kilogram (11 pounds) of fish," said Ali, a fisherman. "Wasn't that delicious, guys?" he added, grinning towards his fellow militants. Nearby, two young men lay asleep on mattresses. "Don't worry, we take turns manning the roadblock," said Mohammed, a student at the Lebanese American University. On the other side of the street hung a banner dating from the 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel and recalling the tight bonds between the Shiite group and Iran. "The Iranian committee for the reconstruction of Lebanon. Lebanon forever," it read. On either side of the highway, huge posters had been put up of Imad Mughniyeh, a senior Hizbullah commander killed in Damascus earlier in February. "We are waiting for Saniora to resign or to rescind his decisions concerning Hizbullah," added Mohammed, the student, who said he used to be a Sunni but had converted and is now a Shiite. "We will fight to the end, for God, for the future of Lebanon," he added. "My father backs the majority but I think Hizbullah is more sincere." Mohammed insisted it was no part of Hizbullah's plans to seize power in Lebanon as its critics have charged. "If we wanted to take over the country we would have done so in two days, but that's not our intention," he said. "Once Saniora officially goes back on his decisions, we will reopen the airport road in two minutes. But it looks like it's going to be a long war."(AFP)

 

 

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