Fighting Continues in Lebanon's Mountains

As Hizbollah ceded control of Beirut back to the Lebanese army, fighting continued in Tripoli. This is what happens when you let a terrorist organization rearm. Where's UNIFIL when you need it. Reuters

BEIRUT, May 12 (Reuters) - Clashes resumed in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Monday and security sources said at least 36 people had been killed on Sunday in fighting between Hezbollah and its pro-government Druze opponents east of Beirut.

Pro-government Sunni Muslim gunmen in Tripoli's Bab Tebbaneh district exchanged machine gun and grenade fire with Alawite militiamen allied to Hezbollah in the nearby Jebel Mohsen area.

Four people were wounded in the fighting which later gave way to the occasional crack of sniper fire, witnesses said.

A precarious calm prevailed in Beirut, where politicians prepared to meet Arab League mediators to discuss how to end Lebanon's worst internal battles since the 1975-90 civil war.

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Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies have swept through Beirut and hills to the east, routing loyalists of the U.S.-backed government before handing its conquests to the Lebanese army, which has stayed out of the fighting.

One source said the dead in Sunday's battles included 14 Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah-led forces overran several posts held by gunmen loyal to Walid Jumblatt in the Aley district before the Druze leader agreed to hand them over to the army.

The latest fighting in Lebanon, which began on May 7, has killed 81 people and wounded 250.

Hezbollah's success has dealt a severe blow to the ruling Sunni-led coalition headed by Saad al-Hariri, son of the slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, in what is widely seen as a proxy confrontation between Iran and the United States.

Britain and Germany, which like Washington strongly support Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government, issued statements condemning the violence and backing the Arab League mediation.

So far Western and Saudi support for the government has done nothing to deter Hezbollah from exposing the military weakness of its foes.

While Hariri, Jumblatt and their Christian allies have backed down on the moves that sparked Hezbollah's ferocious reaction -- outlawing its communications network and sacking the head of airport security -- they have shown little readiness to embark on major political concessions to resolve the crisis.