Celebrations of exit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak not limited to Cairo

Egyptians, Arabs Celebrate Mubarak Exit
Egyptian cities erupted in celebration when President Hosni Mubarak stood down on Friday and the crowds who had protested against him claimed victory over the man who had ruled them for 30 years.

"We have brought down the regime, we have brought down the regime," chanted the hundreds of thousands of people packed into Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protest movement. They waved flags, cried, cheered and embraced when the news reached them through a public address system. Drivers honked car horns and pedestrians shouted "Hurrah for Egypt," in scenes that were repeated in cities across the country.

Celebrations, however, were not limited to Egypt…

GAZA CELEBRATES
Palestinians in Gaza let off fireworks and shot into the air to celebrate the resignation of Mubarak Friday, as Hamas called on Egypt's new rulers to change his policies.

"The resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is the beginning of the victory of the Egyptian revolution," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. "Such a victory was the result of the sacrifices and the steadfastness of the Egyptian people," he told Reuters. "We call upon the new Egyptian leadership to take an immediate decision to lift the blockade of Gaza and open Rafah (border) crossing permanently to allow people's free movement and in order for the reconstruction process of Gaza to begin," said Abu Zuhri.

Gaza residents heard gunfire erupt across the city when news of Mubarak's departure spread, and fireworks lit up the sky.

BEIRUT ALSO CELEBRATES
Lebanese also jubilated at news of president Hosni Mubarak's decision to step down on Friday, setting off fireworks across the Lebanese capital and blaring car horns.
  
Convoys drove through the streets of the Hamra district of central Beirut and nearby areas, with passengers cheering and waving Egyptian flags.

TUNISIANS CELEBRATE AGAIN
Tunisians danced in the street and blared their horns to celebrate Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's resignation Friday, only four weeks after their own ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted.
  
"It's wonderful! Two dictators have fallen in less than a month," said 23-year-old student Nourredine as he joined in an impromptu street party on Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, one of the main sites for the protests which toppled Ben Ali.