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BEIRUT – The leader of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah appealedfor calm Tuesday after people blocked roads and burned tires inBeirut to protest the kidnapping of 11 Lebanese Shiites inneighboring Syria. The abductions in Syria's northern Aleppo province threatened toignite dangerous sectarian tensions and fueled fears that Lebanonis getting drawn into the chaos next door. The Lebanese were on their way home from a religious pilgrimage inIran when Syrian rebels intercepted their vehicles, Syria'sstate-run SANA news agency said. The rebels abducted the 11 men anda Syrian driver. The women were released. Lebanese security officials confirmed the kidnapping. As the news of the kidnappings spread, residents of the southernsuburbs of Beirut, a Shiite area, took to the streets and burnedtires and blocked roads in protest. The leader of Hezbollah, astrong ally of the Syrian regime, appealed for calm and warned hisfollowers against revenge attacks targeting Syrians. "This is strictly prohibited," Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said in atelevised speech. He said the Lebanese government must press for the pilgrims'release. "We will work day and night until these beloved people are withus," Nasrallah said. Hezbollah has stood by Syrian President Bashar Assad as hestruggles to put down a 15-month-old uprising. Sunnis form the backbone of the Syrian revolt, which has unleashedboiling sectarian tensions. Assad and the ruling elite in Syriabelong to the tiny Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiism. Within hours of the kidnappings, the Syrian government began movinginto Azaz in Aleppo province, where the abductions took place,activists said. Syria's uprising began in March 2011 with mostly peaceful calls forreform, but the government's brutal crackdown on dissent led manyin the opposition to take up arms. The U.N. estimates more than9,000 people have been killed as the conflict spirals toward civilwar. Tuesday's kidnappings come at a time of deep tension in Lebanonover Syria. The countries share a complex web of political andsectarian ties and rivalries, which can quickly turn violent. Theconflict already has spilled across the border, with deadlyresults. Lebanese Sunni groups supporting and opposing the Damascus regimefired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in Beirut earlyMonday, killing at least two people. It was among the most seriousfighting in the capital since 2008. The spark for the violence was the killing Sunday of Sheik AhmedAbdul-Wahid, an anti-Syrian Sunni cleric, and his bodyguard innorthern Lebanon. A Lebanese soldier shot the men, apparently afterthey failed to stop at an army checkpoint. The killing fueled deepanger over the perceived support of some of Lebanon's securityforces for the Syrian regime. Syria had troops on the ground in Lebanon for nearly 30 years until2005 and still has strong ties to Lebanon's security services. Earlier this month, the arrest of Shadi Mawlawi, an outspokenLebanese critic of Assad, set off several days of clashes innorthern Lebanon that killed eight people. Mawlawi was accused ofbelonging to a terrorist group. On Tuesday, authorities released him from jail on $330 bail, a movemany hoped would defuse tensions. During a news conference in thenorthern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Mawlawi said he was "subjectedto psychological pressure and torture" following his May 12 arrestand was forced to give false confessions that he was connected toterror groups. Mawlawi denies any links to such groups. As he spoke, supporters at the news conference lashed out at theSyrian regime, saying, "Assad is the enemy of God.". I am an expert from inflatable-amusementpark.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Inflatable Zorb Ball , Inflatable Tent Rental Manufacturer, Combo Jumpers Rentals,and more.
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