Hezbollah Illegally taking over Ouzai

Photo by Naharnet

Every week while on my way back to my home-city in the South of Lebanon, I pass by an infamous area called Ouzai.This area is getting more hideous week by week due to the cramming of construction that is going on there. This construction, as you might have guessed, is as illegal as most of Dahye and the South. It seems that Hezbollah is gradually taking over the place. A common trend is fulling constructing a one-floor building (with painting it and occupying it) and then continuing to construct more floors. This way they can claim that the building has been there for a while and not brand new (not that it would make much sense).

What's even more irritating is that they are even taking the law into their own hands there. Members of Hezbollah start asking for IDs of people they think are suspicious, as if they are the ruling power in Lebanon. Kinda reminds of stories my parents used to tell me during the Lebanese Civil War where different political groups used to take their IDs and investigate them in order to pass a certain area.

News reporters from NOW Lebanon were stopped by Hezbollah in Ouzai, got their IDs investigated and notes taken and then were told to get out of the area. The Lebanese Police, that witnessed the incident, didn't even interfere.

It makes you think what will become of Lebanon when the new Hezbollah-government gets established... and they blame Hariri and his allies for sectarianism.