An unsettling bottleneck has occurred at the only exit point from Beirut. Roads leading south and East have reportedly been blocked by armed men at checkpoints, the first sign of a devolution to militia violence. The main highway exiting the capital has already been blocked by the opposition-pictured below.
A fire rages in the middle of the street but is not visible from this vantage point. As I type this, battles are being fought from one apartment building to another with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. A small-scale street war has begun in Beirut.
2 comments
Hey Habib,
This is crazy, man. I remember everyone talking about something like this happening after Gebran Tueni was killed. How does this chaos compare to that of the 2006 war? Has there been any pressure on you to join one side or the other?
Stay safe and keep reporting.
Hi Andy. It’s hard to compare because both are related in a way. It was the internal tensions that resulted from the 2006 war that became a foundation for a lot of the tensions we see today. I have not experienced pressure but many journalists have been attacked. Appreciate your support.