They Want Another War»

Oh crap.

Hezbollah fighters seized control of rival pro-government strongholds in Beirut on Friday as gunbattles rocked the Lebanese capital for a third day, propelling the nation dangerously close to all-out civil war.

Gunfire and the thump of exploding rocket-propelled grenades echoed across mainly west Beirut, where the fighting was concentrated between militants loyal to the Western-backed government and opposition gunmen.

At least 11 people been killed and dozens more wounded in the street battles that erupted Thursday after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said a government crackdown on his group was a declaration of war.

Um um um.

The unrest has triggered urgent appeals for calm from the international community amid fears that a protracted political feud in multi-confessional Lebanon could plunge the country back to the dark days of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Stop saying that! I mean, come on —

“It was a hellish night. The armed militants were everywhere shooting all over the place,” said Rima, another west Beirut resident.

Hezbollah, the most powerful armed movement in Lebanon, has also forced the shutdown of all media belonging to the family of parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri, while a rocket hit the outer perimeter of his Beirut residence.

I just emailed some friends in Beirut, primarily to make sure they’re OK. Perhaps they’ll send me some information I can put up here. For now: find a paper bag and breathe into it.