Lebanon Rescinds Decisions That Sparked Violence

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese government late yesterday formally rescinded the decisions that sparked days of violence in the country, a move aimed at easing tensions between American and Iranian-backed political camps vying for power in the country.

During a visit of mediating Arab foreign ministers, Lebanon's information minister announced that the government would back off on decisions announced last week to declare illegal the Shiite militia Hezbollah's private fiber-optic telecommunications network and to fire the security head at Beirut's international airport.

"Since the government is greatly concerned with the higher interest, the government decided to approve the rescinding of the two decisions," the minister, Ghazi Aridi, said in a televised appearance.

Supporters of the Hezbollah-led opposition responded to the 11 p.m. announcement by firing automatic weapons into the air in a show of celebration throughout the country.

Lebanon has been mired in a deepening political crisis since a late 2006 dispute between the Western-leaning government and the opposition over power-sharing. The deadlock has left the country without a president since November.

Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warned that the decisions announced May 6 amounted to a serous provocation that challenged the group's self-proclaimed status as leader of the resistance to Israeli and American plans for the region.