Hezbollah Leads 500,000 in Peaceful Demostration

Posted on March 8, 2005

In Lebanon today approximately 500,000 people peacefully protested in support of Syria. The demonstration was organized by Hezbollah, which is very popular in Lebanon but has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Sheik Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, has sat quietly on the sidelines recently, but he's clearly making his move.

The AP says there were no independent estimates of the crowds, "but at least 500,000 people crowded the square and nearby streets."

The UPI had some reports that thousands of Syrians had crossed the border to join in the demonstration, but that hasn't been verified. It seems that at least several hundred thousand Lebanese would like Syria to stick around. The demonstration was remarkably peaceful, but the question is: how long will it remain peaceful? And if another civil war breaks out, what will the White House do? It's hard to see any tactical advantage to us getting bogged down in Beirut -- again.