Lebanese protests test military
Clashes threaten to crack open fault lines as troops look to protect protesters
BEIRUT — Increasingly violent clashes between Lebanese protesters and supporters of the militant Hezbollah group are putting Lebanon’s military and security forces in a delicate position, threatening to crack open the country’s dangerous fault lines amid a political deadlock.
For weeks, the Lebanese security forces have gone to great pains to protect anti-government protesters, in stark contrast to Iraq, where police have killed more than 340 people over the past month in a bloody response to similar protests.
The overnight violence — some of the worst since protests against the country’s ruling elite began last month — gave a preview into a worst-case scenario for Lebanon’s crisis, with Lebanon’s U.S.-trained military increasingly in the middle between pro- and antiHezbollah factions.
By attacking the protesters Sunday night, Hezbollah sent a frightening message that it is willing to resort to violence to protect its political power, increasing the likelihood of more violence if the protests persist. Confronting the powerful Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah, however, is out of the question for the military — doing so would wreck the neutral position it seeks to maintain and could split its ranks disastrously.
“The army is in a difficult position facing multiple challenges and moving cautiously between the lines,” said Fadia Kiwan, professor of political science at Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
She said the military has sought to protect the protesters and freedom of expression but is increasingly grappling with how to deal with road closures and violence.
The night’s clashes brought into full display the ugly political and sectarian divisions that protesters have said they want to put an end to.
“Shiite, Shiite, Shiite!” Hezbollah supporters waving the group’s yellow flag shouted, taunting the protesters, many of them Christians. The protesters chanted back, “This is Lebanon, not Iran,” and “Terrorist, terrorist, Hezbollah is a terrorist” — the first time they have used such a chant.
The violence began when supporters of Hezbollah and the other main Shiite faction, Amal, attacked protesters who had blocked a main Beirut thoroughfare known as the Ring Road — a move the protesters said was aimed at exerting pressure on politicians to form a new government after Prime Minister Saad Hariri offered his resignation on Oct. 29.
Carrying clubs and metal rods, the Hezbollah followers arrived on scooters, chanting pro-Hezbollah slogans. They beat up several protesters.
Both sides chanted insults, then threw stones at each other for hours.
Security forces stood between them but did little to stop the fighting.
Finally, after several hours, they fired tear gas canisters at both sides to disperse them. The road was eventually opened before daybreak Monday.
The nationwide protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful since they started on Oct. 17. But that could change with no political solution in sight.