BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The political crisis in Lebanon is expected to worsen with Hezbollah planning mass protests against the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
The protest call, aimed at toppling the government, came during the weekend from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who considers Siniora a puppet of the United States, reports The Washington Post. The Siniora government is made up of a coalition of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims, Druze and Christians.
The outcome of the latest struggle may determine which forces will lead the country in the future -- the coalition group or Hezbollah's Shiite Muslim constituency backed by Iran and Syria, says the Post.
"When the time comes, we have to be ready," said Nasrallah, whose group fought a war with Israel in the summer. "We could call for demonstrations in 24 hours, 12 hours or 6 hours. We have to be ready in all cases."
The current political crisis began with the resignations of Shiite ministers and an allied politician from the Siniora cabinet. Following that the cabinet agreed to a U.N. plan for an international tribunal to try the suspected killers of former Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The assassination is widely blamed on Syria.
