Hezbollah: Crackdown declaration of war

HEZBOLLAH chief Hassan Nasrallah warned yesterday that a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a “declaration of war” as clashes escalated between supporters of rival political factions in the deeply-divided country.

Nasrallah issued his ominous statement on the second day of anti-government protests, with gunfights in several parts of the country, roads blocked and Lebanon’s only international airport effectively shut down.

“The decisions [of the government] are tantamount to a declaration of war and the start of a war... on behalf of the United States and Israel,” Nasrallah said.