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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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Hezbollah Seizes Muslim Beirut

Major blow to US-backed government

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(Newser) – Hezbollah militants have taken control of Muslim areas of Beirut and now control all the roads to the Lebanese capital's airport, Reuters reports. Gunmen forced a pro-government TV station off the air. At least 11 people have been killed, including those trying to flee the city, as sectarian violence continued into a third day.

Masked gunmen roamed the streets as the city continued to suffer its worst violence since Lebanon's 15-year civil war. The army fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators but did not intervene in the fierce clashes between Shiite militias and Sunnis loyal to the country's US-backed government. Fears that the violence could escalate into another civil war are growing.

A motorcycle is seen burnt out near a building where Hezbollah militants hanged Palestinian flags and pictures of President Bashar Assad in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 9, 2008.
A motorcycle is seen burnt out near a building where Hezbollah militants hanged Palestinian flags and pictures of President Bashar Assad in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, May 9, 2008.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Passengers pulling their baggage head towards the terminal building at Beirut's international airport, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008.
Passengers pulling their baggage head towards the terminal building at Beirut's international airport, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Lebanese soldiers stand guard as Sunni supporters of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri burn tires to block the highway linking Beirut with coastal village of Jiyeh, Lebanon, May 8, 2008.
Lebanese soldiers stand guard as Sunni supporters of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri burn tires to block the highway linking Beirut with coastal village of Jiyeh, Lebanon, May 8, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A Hezbollah supporter burns tires, closing for a second day the highway to Lebanon's international airport during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008.
A Hezbollah supporter burns tires, closing for a second day the highway to Lebanon's international airport during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008.   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A Hezbollah supporter burns tires, closing for a second day the highway to Lebanon's only international airport during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008. Shiite supporters of Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Sunnis backing Lebanon's U.S.-backed government clashed for a second straight day Thursday as the sectarian...
A Hezbollah supporter burns tires, closing for a second day the highway to Lebanon's only international airport during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, May 8, 2008. Shiite supporters of Iranian-backed...   (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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