Lebanese Army Ready To Use Force To End Conflict

Beirut, Lebanon (AHN) - The Lebanese army on Tuesday said it is ready to move in and use force to end fighting that has swept across the country, following clashes between supporters of the Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Syrian-backed Hezbollah-led opposition.

The fighting has resulted in the death of 60 people and has left the future of Lebanon in ruins.

The announcement of the Lebanese army came as the government ordered the deployment of troops in the capital Beirut and in the northern city of Tripoli and in the Chouf mountains in the southeastern part of the capital.

Earlier, Hezbollah said it is pulling its troops in Beirut. The Lebanese army settled tensions between the Shia group and armed government supporters.

Hezbollah seized large parts of the capital after four days of street fighting and said it is handing control back to the government. But it said it would still campaign for civil disobedience until all its demands are met.

Fighting was triggered by a government announcement it would shut down the telecommunications network of the Hezbollah and the sacking of the chief of the security at the Beirut airport for alleged links with the Hezbollah.

However, witnesses say most of Beirut remains paralyzed with the streets barricaded and the international airport remains closed.

There were fears among residents that the fragile peace between the government and the Syrian-backed Hezbollah would worsen and that fighting would continue in the coming days.

The sectarian violence was the worst since the bloody 15-year civil war which ended in 1990. Washington has offered assistance to the Lebanon army to disarm the Hezbollah. The disarming of the Hezbollah was one of the conditions set by Israel for withdrawing its troops after the July 2006 war.