BEIRUT (AFP) — Deadly gunbattles erupted in Beirut on Thursday after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah charged that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a “declaration of war,” stoking fears of a full-blown sectarian conflict.
The international community launched urgent appeals for calm in the deeply divided country after two days of clashes between rival political factions that signalled a major escalation in a bitter 18-month power struggle. for more click here