Lebanon’s media is regarded as the most vibrant in the Arab world but the country’s myriad print and broadcast outlets are also vehemently partisan, requiring viewers in times of crisis to turn to several stations before forming a view of events.

So there was a certain grim logic to one of the first acts of the opposition Shia Hizbollah movement last week: as it stormed areas controlled by pro-government forces, it moved against the television, radio and newspaper of the Future movement, the leading Sunni party in the governing coalition. They resumed operations on Tuesday after five days of silence.