Beirut - At least one woman was killed and three others
wounded Sunday when clashes erupted in Beirut between followers of
the Western-backed ruling majority and those of the Hezbollah-led
opposition, Lebanese police said.
Clashes erupted with machine-gun fire and rocket-propelled
grenades launched between followers of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and
those loyal to Shiite House Speaker Nabih Berri in the populated
areas of Aiyshe Bakar and Mar Elias, the police said.
At least one woman was killed and three others were wounded, the
police said.
A Lebanese army statement said 'orders were given to troops to
shoot any gunmen in the street.'
A Lebanese army officer near the scene of the clashes told the
German Press Agency dpa, that 'the situation is now contained and
soldiers are positioned in the tensed areas.'
Dozens of army soldiers backed by tanks were seen searching
buildings in the areas of the clashes, looking for escaping gunmen.
Panic-stricken Beirut residents told dpa that the machinegun fire
were heavy and that they had to hide in a stairwell.
'We were sitting in the living room and suddenly a personal
dispute turned into a battle in the street and we have to hide in
safe areas to protect ourselves and the children,' Sana al Malla, who
lives in Aiyshe Bakar, told dpa.
Earlier, ambulances with wailing sirens were heard across the
capital as clashes continued and spread to nearby areas.
The clashes came a day after Hariri was named prime minister of
the country. Hariri vowed Saturday to unite Lebanon's citizens.
In May 2008, bitter clashes pitted followers of Hariri's Future
Current Movement and the Hezbollah-led opposition, leaving at least
50 people dead.
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