Hizballah Takes Over Beirut

Fri, May 9, 2008 at 9:28:44 am PDT

The media don’t want to use the words “civil war,” but there’s very little doubt that Lebanon is in the midst of one: Hezbollah imposes control on Beirut.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group took control of the Muslim half of Beirut on Friday, tightening its grip on the city in a major blow to the U.S.-backed government.

Security sources said at least 11 people had been killed and 30 wounded in three days of battles between pro-government gunmen and fighters loyal to Hezbollah, a Shi’ite political movement with a powerful guerrilla army.

The fighting, the worst internal strife since the 1975-90 civil war, was triggered this week after the government took decisions targeting Hezbollah’s military communications network. The group said the government had declared war.

In scenes reminiscent of the darkest days of the civil war, young men armed with assault rifles roamed the streets amid smashed cars and smoldering buildings. Fighting died down by mid-morning and Hezbollah and allied fighters were in control as government supporters put down their weapons.

And Reuters has cameramen embedded with the enemy again: Mideast Conflict Photos.

Also see:
Embedded with the Enemy? - snapped shot
Michael J. Totten has a lot of coverage.
A Blog For All: How Is Reuters Getting This Photo?