The Syrian Conquest Of Lebanon Proceeds

Well known sock puppet for Iran and Syria, Hassan Nasrallah, has flooded the streets of Beirut with his Hezbollah and other Syrian supporters in an effort to topple the government. This is, of course, following his master's commands and trying to force Lebanon into Syrian control.

The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah and its allies mobilized their bases for the protest, arranging to bus supporters from all over Lebanon and handing out free gasoline coupons to people in remote regions.

The crowd, which police estimated at 800,000, created a sea of Lebanese flags that blanketed downtown. Hezbollah officials put the number at 1 million — one-fourth of Lebanon's population.

Saniora went about his schedule in what appeared to be a tactic to ignore the throngs that quickly filled the streets. With heavy traffic reported on highways leading downtown, pro-government factions urged calm.

"Saniora out! We want a free government!" protesters shouted through loudspeakers. The crowd roared in approval amid the deafening sound of Hezbollah revolutionary and nationalist songs. "We want a clean government," read one placard, in what has become the opposition's motto.

Heavily armed soldiers and police had closed all roads to downtown, feverishly unfurling barbed wire and placing barricades.

Despite Hezbollah's assurances the protests will be peaceful, the heavy security came amid fears the protests may turn into clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian factions or that Hezbollah supporters could try to storm Saniora's government headquarters.

Hezbollah's security men, donning caps, formed two lines between the protesters and the security forces to prevent clashes.

Launching a long-threatened campaign to force Lebanon's U.S.-backed government from office, Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies said the demonstration would be followed by a wave of open-ended protests.

We have a number of "realists" in this country that want to sit down and chat with the folks behind these attempts to overthrow the elected government. They are led by a man who has a history of selling Lebanon for political purposes. God help them.