Paris - The media watchdog organization Reporters Without Borders on Friday condemned the Lebanese radical Shiite group Hezbollah for attacking news media owned by a family opposed to it. "Reporters Without Borders condemns Hezbollah's armed attacks and threats against four news media owned by the family of Saad Hariri, the head of Future Movement, the anti-Syrian majority party in the Lebanese parliament," the Paris-based group said in a press statement.
All four media - the terrestrial and satellite TV station Future TV, satellite TV news channel Future News, the daily Al-Mustakbal and Radio Orient - were forced to stop operating on Friday, Reporters Without Borders said.
The actions against the media included a rocket attack on Al- Mustakbal's headquarters and threats by gunmen against the other media to begin shooting if they did not stop broadcasting.
"Lebanon is undergoing a serious political crisis and the situation is very disturbing," the press freedom organization said. "We hope the gagging of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority's news media is not a harbinger of even greater violence."
At least 13 people were reported killed in the fighting between anti-Syrian forces and Hezbollah, which began on Thursday.
