THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Lebanese government has collapsed after Hizbollah and its allies walked out of a coalition that had ensured an uneasy peace in one of the Middle East's most unstable countries.
Eleven ministers resigned in a well-timed move to undermine the pro-western prime minister, Saad Hariri. Mr Hariri was posing for photographs in the White House with President Barack Obama when the decision was announced.
The Hizbollah-led alliance acted after Mr Hariri refused to bow to demands to disavow an international tribunal into the murder of his father, Rafiq Hariri, a former prime minister, which is expected to blame the militant group.
Its move could reignite the three-way confrontation between pro-western parties, Shia factions tied to Iran and Syria, and Israel which has caused decades of political and military conflict in the country. >>> Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Wednesday, January 12, 2011
