Burning tires, roadblocks, masked gunmen, Beirut in flames--sound familiar? This isn't the first time that Hezbollah has laid siege to the Lebanese capitol in order to pressure the government to share more power. Last year, we had Zvika Krieger on the ground in Beirut giving us a thrilling tour of the city as pandemonium reigned. One memorable passage:
"We're also trying to stop American hegemony of Lebanon," pipes in fellow Hezbollah member Mohammad. "We are so happy when American soldiers are killed in Iraq because they are the ones responsible for our deaths here," he says, referring to the tacit American endorsement of Israel's attacks this summer. Mohammad fears that "America is trying to get the Sunnis out of Iraq and the Shia out of Lebanon" in order to create a balance of power in the region--a fear that receives nods of approval from the Hezbollah mob that has gathered around us.
As I try to break free from the crowd, one of the Hezbollah members grabs my arm. "You from America?" he asks in labored English. When I say yes, from Los Angeles, he whispers: "You like the Lakers? I hate America, but I love Kobe Bryant."
Read the whole piece to see how the more things change, the more they stay the same...
--The Editors