Hizbullah supporters were allegedly geared up for mass street protests on Thursday. The Beirut-based An Nahar daily said Monday that the demonstrations would most likely be held on Thursday, the day Premier Fuad Saniora's cabinet is to convene.
On Sunday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah urged his followers and pro-Syrian allies to be "psychologically" ready for mass demonstrations to topple Saniora's anti-Syrian government. He accused Saniora's cabinet being "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional".
Saniora on Monday dismissed Nasrallah's accusations as "untrue." Future TV quoted sources close to Saniora as saying the premier rejected Nasrallah's claims, saying "they lead to more tension and strain."
On his part, Druze leader Walid Jumblat has warned that Lebanon was on the verge of a coup d'état. "We are on the verge of a coup … through gradual street protests and possible collective resignations from (public) administrations and from parliament … then riots and civil disobedience."
