The New York Times-20080128-Beirut Violence Kills 7 and Wounds Dozens

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Beirut Violence Kills 7 and Wounds Dozens

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Violent clashes erupted Sunday in Beirut, leaving at least seven people dead and escalating Lebanon's most serious political crisis since its civil war ended in 1990.

At least seven people were shot dead and dozens were wounded during clashes between the Lebanese Army and opposition supporters who were burning tires and closing major roads to protest power cuts, security officials said.

Lebanon has been without a president for more than two months because of a longstanding dispute between the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition, supported by Iran and Syria.

The dispute has fueled tensions between Shiite Muslims loyal to the opposition and Sunni Muslim followers of Saad Hariri, the leader of the governing majority in Parliament.

The riots started after a demonstrator was shot dead in the Mar Mikhael neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut, when the army intervened to break up the protest.

The Lebanese Army, seen as the only neutral institution in the political crisis, said it was not clear who had shot the protester, identified as Ahmad Hamza, a member of the opposition Amal movement. But his killing incited anger, and the protests quickly spread to other areas in the city and in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Six more people from the opposition were killed in ensuing violence, security and opposition officials said.

We are protesting because we want to live, said Hassan Hilal, an Amal resident. And as long as this government is in office, we are going to die.

Security officials said at least one soldier had been wounded when demonstrators threw stones at the army.

A few hours later, a hand grenade was thrown in the Ain al Rouamanah neighborhood, the site of a shooting that set off Lebanon's civil war in 1975. Seven people were wounded.

Gunfire was heard into the night in Beirut, and television reports showed several cars set ablaze. Lebanese Army soldiers were heavily deployed in and around the city, and traffic was scarce.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora declared Monday a national day of mourning, closing schools and universities.

The Amal movement, led by Nabih Berri, the Parliament speaker, issued a statement urging its supporters to stay calm and avoid any reaction in the streets.

Demonstrations against power rationing increased in the past month, but this was the first time that they turned deadly.

The violence on Sunday was the worst in a year, since clashes at a university campus left four people dead and prompted the government to declare a curfew for the first time in a decade.

It occurred as Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo to discuss carrying out a three-point Arab plan to solve Lebanon's crisis. The initiative calls for Gen. Michel Suleiman, the army chief, to become president, and for the formation of a unity government and a new electoral law.

Hezbollah and its allies want veto power in the new government, a demand the governing majority says is unacceptable.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Protesters burned tires on Sunday in a Beirut suburb. The army intervened, killing one of them. (PHOTOGRAPH BY ANWAR AMRO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE -- GETTY IMAGES)