Violence Erupts in LEBANON as HEZBOLLAH moves in for Control

Hezbollah is reported to have taken control of large areas of the Lebanese capital from groups loyal to the government following gun battles. "There are no clashes anymore because no one is standing in the way of the opposition forces," a Lebanese security official said on Friday.

The street battles, which erupted on Wednesday, have left at least 11 people dead and 20 others wounded. Lebanese troops began taking up positions in some neighbourhoods in west Beirut abandoned by the pro-government groups. The army has largely avoided getting involved in the street battles amid fears of being dragged into the conflict.

Michel Aoun, the Christian leader allied with the opposition, said that normality shall be regained on the streets. He said: "The derailed carriage is now back on track. We hope from this point that things will fall back into the normal course [of events]." Aoun also said that he sent a letter to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, and various member states of the UN Security Council, but "did not find a clear response to avert the crisis".

A rocket-propelled grenade earlier hit the fence of the heavily protected residence of Saad al-Hariri, the Sunni politician and leader of the governing coalition, in the suburb of Koreitem, a Muslim area of western Beirut on Friday. Al-Hariri was believed to be inside at the time but unhurt.

Media assault

Armed men loyal to Hezbollah also forced Future News, an al-Hariri-owned TV station, off the air in Beirut. "Armed gunmen surrounded the building, stormed into the garage and demanded that the army shutdown the station," a senior official at the station, said.

The security sources said Hezbollah and fighters from the allied Amal movement - both Shia groups - had overrun offices of al-Hariri's Future group across the predominantly Muslim western half of the Lebanese capital.

The headquarters of the Future movement's Al-Mustaqbal newspaper was also surrounded by gunmen firing rocket-propelled grenades, setting fire to one floor, its managing editor said. Nadim Munla, the general manager of Future television, told Al Jazeera that masked armed men entered the control rooms of the television network and cut off the cables. He said: "We have been effectively prevented from broadcasting and doing our jobs as media professionals. "Hezbollah ... have proven that the gun is stronger than the value of the opinion. We have only one thing left - free speech, and their guns will not silence us."

Lebanese troops evacuated the staff of the TV station's terrestrial and satellite studios in the Kantari area of western Beirut.

Saudi response

Reports have also emerged that the Saudi ambassador to Lebanon advised Fouad Siniora, the prime minister, to step down. This is a significant move considering that the Saudi government is a staunch supporter of the ruling coalition in Beirut. The Saudis see this as a dangerous situation that can escalate rapidly.

In an interview with Walid Jumblatt, head of the Socialist Progressive Party, member of parliament, and leader of the country's Druze community. She said that Jumblatt did not regret his backing to remove the head of the country's airport security, whom the government accuses of being too close to Hezbollah.

"Jumblatt did not anticipate such a strong response from Hezbollah, and he is resigned to the fact that the group is much stronger than other armed militia," she said. "He also said that the government should have undertaken these moves earlier, but predicts that the fighting will end soon."

Hezbollah control

In several neighbourhoods across the capital, automatic rifle fire could be heard in the worst domestic fighting since the 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah also took control of all roads leading to Beirut's international airport, Lebanon's only air link to the outside world.

According to Elie Zakhour, a port official, Beirut's seaport was also shut down "until further notice" because of the situation, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported. Tension between the government and Hezbollah escalated when the cabinet said the group's private phone network was illegal and an attack on the country's sovereignty.

Hezbollah said it was infuriated by government allegations it was spying on Beirut airport and by the cabinet's decision to fire the head of airport security.

Call for restraint

The fighting has prompted urgent appeals for calm from the international community. Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers to try to halt the violence. "An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo to discuss the crisis will be held in two days," Hossam Zaki, the Egyptian foreign ministery spokesman, said.

The UN Security Council also called for "calm and restraint", urging all sides to return to peaceful dialogue. Syria said the dispute in Lebanon was an "internal affair" and expressed hope the feuding parties would find a solution through dialogue.