Protesters accuse Hezbollah of mounting a coup but Hezbollah says it has used only democratic means
ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center
SOURCE: BBC
25January2011 9:54amEST
GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Lebanon's president has appointed Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Shia Islamist group Hezbollah and its allies, as prime minister-designate.
The move came despite demonstrations by thousands of supporters of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the city of Tripoli as part of a "day of rage".
Smaller protests were also reported in the capital, Beirut, and elsewhere. Mr Hariri has condemned acts of violence.
Analysts say many Sunnis are alarmed by Hezbollah's growing political power.
They accuse the Iran-backed group of staging a "coup", because it brought down the Western-backed government earlier this month.
