Lebanon grapples with Syria violence spillover

Lebanon was holding urgent talks on Thursday to try to contain an eruption of violence triggered by events in neighbouring Syria after mass kidnappings and street attacks against Syrians. Several Gulf states including Saudi Arabia have ordered their nationals to leave Lebanon, which is battling to cope with a spillover of the conflict from Syria, denting the country's already fragile security situation. "This brings us back to the days of the painful war, a page that Lebanese citizens have been trying to turn," Prime Minister Najib Mikati said, recalling the dark days of the civil war and the kidnapping of Western hostages. A Shiite Muslim clan called Muqdad claimed Wednesday it had kidnapped 33 Syrians and a Turkish man after a family member was abducted this week by a Syrian rebel group which accused him of being a Hezbollah sniper. Dozens more Syrians were seized and their shops vandalised by rioters in southern Shiite areas of Beirut on Wednesday, according to the state news agency. The attacks erupted after unverified reports that several abducted Shiite pilgrims were among those killed when a government war plane bombed the town of Aazaz in northern Syria. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said he held talks with security leaders and other ministers on Thursday to discuss "the issue of kidnappings and counter-kidnappings". "We hope to resolve this diplomatically," he told reporters. "God willing, the Lebanese in Syria will be released and so will the kidnapped Syrians in Lebanon." Violence in Syria has often spilled over into Lebanon, denting the country's already fragile security situation, with cross-border shootings, shelling by the Syrian army, tit-for-tat kidnappings and sectarian clashes. The latest unrest has fanned fears that the 17-month conflict in its much larger neighbour could destabilise Lebanon, which has struggled for decades with wars, sectarian strife and a weak political system. Shiites in Lebanon's fractured multi-confessional population mainly support Assad's Alawite-led regime, while Sunnis back the rebellion. Saudi Arabia, which is opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime and hosted an Organisation for Islamic Cooperation summit which suspended Syria, told its citizens to leave immediately after "clear threats against them." Washington, too, expressed consternation. "Our concern in Lebanon, first and foremost, has been the spillover from the Syrian conflict and the fact that the sectarian tensions in Syria are potentially being replicated in Lebanon," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. But the clan involved in the kidnappings said it would not back down. "The hostages will only be released after the liberation of Hassan al-Muqdad," family spokesman Maher al-Muqdad said, referring to his relative who was seized by a rebel group in Syria earlier this week. "The situation will deteriorate." Arab media reports said a Syrian rebel group claimed the abduction of Hassan al-Muqdad, accusing him of being a sniper and a member of the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, which supports Assad's regime. "He is neither a sniper nor a member of Hezbollah," said Abu Ali, also a member of the Muqdad clan. "All the accusations are a lie. Our request is not political, this is a humanitarian issue." An exodus of tourists could deal a major blow to Lebanon, a favourite summer destinations for Gulf tourists seeking to escape their searing hot climate for the cooler Mediterranean climate and a much more liberal lifestyle. Adding to the feeling of insecurity, rioters closed the road to Beirut airport and to the border with Syria on Wednesday, and an Air France was diverted because of the troubles. Lebanon's National News Agency said the relatives and neighbours of several Lebanese kidnapped in Syria took to the streets on Wednesday night, harassing Syrians and vandalising their property. "Some of the attackers vandalised shops, destroyed cars for sale, and kidnapped dozens of Syrians," it said. "The situation has got out of control." Syria occupied Lebanon militarily and politically for nearly three decades until 2005, when its troops were forced to pull out under international pressure after the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri that year. Lebanon has taken in around 38,000 refugees from the conflict across the border in Syria, which erupted in March last year.