Lebanon Erupts in Violence as Hezbollah-Backed Prime Minister is Nominated

Strategic Insights -

Street protests turned violent across Lebanon on Tuesday as lawmakers voted to nominate Najib Mikati, a Hezbollah-backed candidate for prime minister, leading to a culmination of decades of political maneuvering by the Shiite Muslim movement. The new government is expected to seize funding for and stop cooperating with the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri's father. The move has sparked widespread protests and clashes between rioters and soldiers, with reports of tires burning, demonstrations, and injuries in the capital Beirut.

Key Takeaways:

  • The nomination of Najib Mikati as prime minister marks a significant victory for Hezbollah, which has become the country's most powerful political organization.
  • The new government is expected to seize funding for and stop cooperating with the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
  • The move has sparked widespread protests and clashes between rioters and soldiers, with reports of tires burning, demonstrations, and injuries in the capital Beirut.
  • At least four men broke into and set fire to the office of Mohammad Safadi, a long-time lawmaker who typically supported March 14 and had recently sided with Hezbollah.
  • Protesters blamed the United States and the international community for not stepping in to stop Hezbollah's ascent, with some calling for financial aid to be withdrawn.
  • Analysts say Hezbollah's rising role could further destabilize the region and lead to a greater Israeli willingness to challenge Lebanon.
  • The new government has also sparked concerns in Israel, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad drawing tens of thousands of supporters to Hezbollah rallies in southern Lebanon.

Statistics:

  • 11 ministers aligned with Hezbollah abruptly resigned in protest of the government's support for the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in mid-January.
  • Tens of thousands of people attended Hezbollah rallies in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, last fall.
  • At least four men broke into and set fire to the office of Mohammad Safadi.
  • Reports of tires burning and demonstrations in the capital Beirut.
  • Multiple shots were fired as rioters attacked a building associated with the Syrian Nationalist Party, another Hezbollah ally.
  • The Lebanese army deployed tanks to prevent further attacks.
  • The U.N.-backed tribunal was expected to find members of Hezbollah guilty of the assassination.

Sources:

  • "Thousands protest in Lebanon over Hezbollah candidate for prime minister" by Heather Murdock (GlobalPost, January 25, 2011)
  • Philip Crowley, State Department spokesman, as quoted in "State Department comments on Hezbollah's role in Lebanon's new government" by Agence France Presse (January 25, 2011)
  • Jeremy Pressman, political science professor at the University of Connecticut, as quoted in an email.