Lebanon army gives gunmen deadline to disarm
The Lebanese army said May 12 it will use force if necessary to disarm gunmen and restore law and order after five days of deadly fighting between opponents and supporters of the government.
"Following the events of recent days, namely in Beirut and in the mountains, army units have bolstered their deployment in zones of tension and are working to ensure security, re-establish order and ban all armed presence," a statement said.
"Army units will ban collective or individual irregularities in line with legal procedures, even if this means using force," it said. "This decision will be effective starting at 0600 (0300 GMT) on May 13."
The military urged all warring factions to cooperate with soldiers in order "to guarantee everyone's security."
Six days of fighting since May 7 have left at least 61 people dead and nearly 200 wounded in the worst sectarian unrest since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The clashes have pitted mainly Sunni supporters of the Western-backed government and militants loyal to the Shiite Hezbollah-led opposition which seized control of mostly Muslim west Beirut on May 9.
The violence erupted after the government said it would investigate a Hezbollah telephone network and reassign the airport security chief over his alleged links to the militant group.
Opposition fighters withdrew from Beirut's streets May 10 after the army acted to overturn the decisions.
The army has moved into several areas of tension, including the Druze mountains southeast of the capital after weekend firefights there between the rival factions.
Source: www.defensenews.com
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