Hezbollah Seizes Control Of West Beirut

By Sky News SkyNews - Saturday, May 10 05:39 am

The White House has accused Iran and Syria of fuelling violence in Lebanon by inciting Hezbollah to take up arms against the country's pro-western government.

Tension remains high in Beirut this morning after the Shi'ite militant group seized control of west Beirut.

At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in firefights on Friday which the militants described as a "declaration of war".

Two days of clashes between rival political factions represented a major escalation in a bitter 18-month power struggle.

Shootouts between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition left the mixed Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim districts of the capital virtually deserted.

Loud explosions and gunfire rang out while gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

The United States warned Hezbollah to halt its "disruptive activities", while UN Security Council members said they were "deeply concerned" over the crisis.

Israel's president, Shimon Peres, said the violence was fomented by Iran to further what he said was Tehran's goal to control all of the Middle East.

Dominic Waghorn, Sky's Middle East Correspondent, said: "The country had appeared to be sliding towards civil war.

"It was beginning to look like it did in the 70s and 80s with check points on the streets and armed men firing at each other with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns, along leafy avenues.

"But in the last few hours it seems to have subsided.

"Hezbollah seems to have routed the Sunnis and taken over the strongholds.

"It seems they (Hezbollah) has come to an arrangement with the Lebanese army to hand these areas over."

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