Hezbollah Defeated in Lebanon

Finally, some good news from the Middle East. Hezbollah has been defeated in Lebanon by the March 14 coalition. The Palestine Telegraph reported:

Lebanon, June 8, (Pal Telegraph) - The leader of Lebanon's March 14 coalition has declared victory over Hezbollah's coalition in the country's closely-contested parliamentary elections.

"Congratulations to Lebanon, congratulations to democracy, congratulations to freedom," Saad al-Hariri, the son of slain former prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, said in a televised address from Beirut early on Monday.

Unofficial results projected al-Hariri's anti-Syrian coalition, which held the majority in the outgoing parliament, would win 70 seats in the new
128-seat assembly and the Hezbollah alliance 58 seats.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Beirut, said the results were not official but all the political parties seemed to be accepting them.

Hezbollah, while not making any official statement yet, had privately conceded defeat, our correspondent said.