Hezbollah Moves Closer to Power In Lebanon

Druze leader throws crucial support behind group
By Damon Albarn,  Newser User
Posted Jan 22, 2011 7:35 AM CST Posted Jan 22, 2011 7:35 AM CST
Promoted on Newser Jan 22, 2011 9:49 AM CST
Hezbollah Closer To Power In Lebanon
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, left, meets with Druse leader Walid Jumblatt, in Beirut.   (AP)

The militant Shia group Hezbollah has been given a boost in its efforts to form a coalition government in Lebanon, reports the BBC. Influential Druze leader Walid Jumblatt indicated he will support the group when parliamentary talks begin Monday to pick a new prime minister. Current PM Saad Hariri’s unity government recently collapsed when Hezbollah members resigned, and support from Jumblatt is acknowledged to be essential to any candidate trying to form a government.

Tension is high in Lebanon as the country awaits the results of a UN inquiry into the 2005 assassination of PM Rafik Hariri, Saad’s father. Members of Hezbollah are expected to be implicated, and the group has denounced the investigation as a US-Israeli plot. The impasse has raised fears of a return to sectarian violence.
(More Hezbollah stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X