Violence Resumes In Lebanon

One would have been seriously mistaken to believe that the victory by Hizbullah in Lebanon would result in peace. The government is beset on all sides, and Hizbullah is resented by many for its veto power over the country's future.

It is in that scenario that fighting between the government and opposition forces have been taking place for the past month. While four people were killed and 29 wounded in the fighting there today, nearly 200 have been wounded along with 87 killed in fighting since last month.

A military official said the fighting had eased before noon yesterday and the army was sending reinforcements.

The area witnessed heavy fighting last month when pro-government gunmen and armed men loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition clashed in different parts of the country.

After a meeting yesterday afternoon by local leaders in Tripoli, the former prime minister, Najib Mikati, called on the Lebanese army to take control in the city.

Officials from the opposition Arab Democratic Party did not attend the meeting.

After sunset, security officials said sporadic fighting in the area resumed.

An Arab-mediated deal in May got Lebanon's Western-backed parliament majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition to agree to form a national unity government and halt the spiraling political crisis that had escalated into violence and pushed Lebanon to the brink of a new civil war.

The Arab League sold out the Lebanese March 14 movement, and gave Hizbullah and its terror masters in Damascus and Tehran a victory. In their rush to declare peace, they ignored the warning signs.