NICOSIA - After years of inactivity, militias are forming up again as tensions mount in Beirut to Lebanon.

Officials said a handful of militias have been revived amid the confrontation between the government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah. They said Lebanese Christian and Druze politicians have reorganized militias for personal protection as well as to preserve communal rights from encroachment by Hizbullah and pro-Syrian factions.

"There is no question about it that political leaders are preparing for a breakdown in law and order," an official said.

So far, most of the newly-revived militias have been identified as being aligned with Syria. They included the Free Patriotic Movement, led by former Lebanese President Michel Aoun and linked to Hizbullah and Damascus.

The Lebanese media have reported that several militias sent their fighters to six-day training courses by Hizbullah. Aoun's forces were said to receive two-day courses from former Lebanese Army officers.

"These weapons exist and are for self-defense and not to be used to carry out military operations," Aoun said.

Two other pro-Syrian factions, led by former ministers Zaher Khatib and Wiam Wahab, were also undergoing military training, officials said. The training has been provided by Hizbullah in the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border and Jbeil in southern Lebanon.

A key concern was that militia violence would rage within the Christian sector. In 1989, during the final months of Aoun's presidency, the Lebanese Army and Lebanese Forces battled in Beirut, which led to the Syrian destruction of his regime.

[Ret.] Gen. Elias Hanna said he envisioned the outbreak of civil war over efforts to elect a new president. Hanna cited the coalition led by Lebanese parliamentarian Saad Harari — known as the March 14 forces — and opposed by Hizbullah and pro-Syrian groups.

"The March 14 forces will elect a new president and the opposition's response will be civil disobedience at the very least," Hanna said. "This uprising against the president could lead to a military clash."

So far, the militia training has been limited to light arms maneuvers. But officials did not rule out the procurement of rockets, anti-tank missiles and other heavy weapons.

"In 1975, you had the Palestinians and you did not have a major armed Lebanese force like Hizbullah," Hanna told the Beirut-based Daily Star. "Today there is deep U.S. involvement and there are international resolutions. You have Shi'ites aligned with Maronites and Sunnis aligned with Maronites. Now it would be a very different civil war."

Opposition leaders said Hizbullah has played a major role in the militia revival. They said Hizbullah has provided AK-47 assault rifles and was organizing units of pro-Syrian fighters.

The Siniora government has acknowledged renewed militia activity. On Sept. 24, the government held a seven-hour meeting on the renewed threat of civil war.

"Political differences between the various political factions is normal," Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said. "But resorting to weapons and the logic of force and threats of confrontation and war is rejected by all."

Source: World Tribune