Hezbollah parody sparks unrest in Beirut

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Thousands of Shiite Muslims enraged by a TV comedy that mocked the leader of Hezbollah took to the streets of southern Beirut on Thursday night, burning car tires and blocking roads, police and witneses said.

The trouble began after an actor spoofed Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, wearing the Hezbollah leader’s trademark black turban and sporting a similar beard and spectacles on a TV show on Lebanese Broadcasting Corp, a privately-owned Christian channel.

Thousands of Hezbollah supporters went into the streets of southern Beirut, the stronghold of Hezbollah. They carried pictures of Nasrallah and shouted support. They blocked the road to the airport, but officials said the country’s only air facility remained open.

The unrest spread to other Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut, where rioters blocked roads and burned car tires, including the highway to Lebanon’s international airport, the officials said. Troops blocked roads in the commercial center in downtown Beirut to stop Hezbollah supporters riding on motorcycles from reaching the area.