Supporters of Lebanon's Hizbullah blocked main roads in Beirut with burning barricades today, paralysing the city and deepening the pro-Iranian group's conflict with the US-backed government.
They torched cars and tires to block the main road to Beirut's international airport, where air traffic was suspended because of a strike by staff taking part in a union protest to demand higher wages.
Hizbullah supporters pose after burning tires on a main road to Beirut's International airport
The Hizbullah-led opposition has backed the strike. Activists loyal to Hizbullah, which has backing from Iran and Syria, also blocked routes to Beirut's main commercial district and the usually busy sea port.
The scenes were reminiscent of an anti-government protest last year that led to some of Lebanon's worst internal strife since its 1975-90 civil war. A stun grenade exploded in Beirut, slightly wounding one person, a security source said.
In Lebanon's deepest political crisis since the civil war, Hizbullah has been leading a campaign against Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government since November 2006.
The standoff, which has left Lebanon without a president for five months, reflects a broader power struggle between the foreign backers of the rival camps. The government is supported by Arab states including Saudi Arabia, whose ties with Syria have been poisoned by the Lebanon crisis.
Tension between the government and Hizbullah escalated sharply yesterday. The cabinet accused the group of violating Lebanon's sovereignty by operating its own communications network and installing spy cameras at the airport.
Governing coalition leaders allege Hizbullah is spying on the airport to monitor their movements. Eight members of the anti-Syrian coalition have been assassinated since 2005.
Hizbullah was the only Lebanese faction allowed to keep its weapons after the civil war to fight Israeli forces occupying the south. Israel withdrew in 2000 and the fate of Hizbullah's weapons is at the heart of the political crisis.
A UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel bans the group from rearming and rebuilding its military infrastructure in south Lebanon.