Lebanon Army Moves to Halt Sectarian Strife

Fears that sectarian warfare might engulf the southern Lebanese seaport of Sidon were heightened Tuesday after the Lebanese army intervened for a second day to halt clashes between Christian and Muslim militias.

At least five people were reported killed and several wounded in the fighting, which was centered on villages east of Sidon.

Local press reports said hundreds of Muslim refugees streamed into Sidon after the Christian militiamen, known as the Lebanese Forces, gave the Muslims an ultimatum to leave their homes in the eastern suburbs. State-owned Beirut radio said Muslim residents were given an hour to pack and leave.

Women Reported Beaten

There were also reports of women being beaten by the Christians in order to frighten the residents from their homes. The Muslim refugees were camping out in schools and other public buildings.

The fighting, which appeared to be mainly between the Lebanese Forces and the Shia Muslim militia known as Amal, involved rocket-propelled grenades and mortar and heavy machine-gun fire.

As is usual in Lebanon, it was unclear what precipitated the fighting or which side initiated it.

The Voice of Lebanon, radio station of Lebanon’s Christian Falangist Party, said Christian militiamen were trying to secure the release of four men who they said were kidnaped from the town of Aabra by Muslims on Monday. But Lebanese soldiers in Sidon said they returned fire only after being attacked by the Christians.

In Beirut, the Cabinet of President Amin Gemayel abruptly canceled an emergency meeting that had been set for Tuesday to discuss the latest communal violence. Beirut radio did not explain the cancellation, but United Press International reported that it may be linked to a “probable” visit by Gemayel to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Hafez Assad and other officials.

The Central News Agency, a private news service with close ties to Gemayel, said the president plans to travel to Damascus today to meet with Syrian officials on the latest troubles in Lebanon.

The fighting Tuesday was centered on the town of Aabra, which is 80% Muslim, and Hilaliyeh, which is 90% Muslim.

Nazih Bizri, a member of Parliament from Sidon, called on the army to send reinforcements to the area to prevent further outbreaks of fighting.

The leader of the Amal militia in Sidon, Mahmoud Fasih, said he is convinced that the flare-up was planned by the Israelis “to push the Christians further south to form a buffer strip” along the border.

Before the fighting broke out Monday, the area around Sidon had been almost entirely free of sectarian warfare after the Israeli army pulled out of the city Feb. 16 as part of its general troop withdrawal from Lebanon.

The Israelis had warned that a bloodbath might follow the pullout, but political leaders in the city then reached an accord banning armed militias from the streets and placing the city’s security under the army.

The Lebanese Forces militia has demanded the formation of an all-party security committee for Sidon, but Muslim political leaders fear that the formation of such a group will lead to the division of Sidon into two camps, Christian and Muslim, as in Beirut.

“We categorically reject the formation of a security committee because we cannot divide the country into eastern and western regions,” Bizri said.

The Christian militiamen who have supported a militia rebellion against Gemayel’s rule north of Beirut in the last week are reportedly bringing up reinforcements from Jezzine, 20 miles to the east.