Lebanese PM condemns Shia 'coup'

At least two people died when gunmen targeted a funeral procession

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has said his country will not fall to Hezbollah after four days of street battles in the capital left 24 dead.

In his first response to Hezbollah's de facto takeover of West Beirut, Mr Siniora said his government would never declare war against the Shia group.

Earlier, at least two people were killed after gunfire broke out during a funeral in a Sunni area of Beirut.

It is Lebanon's worst internal violence since its bitter 15-year civil war.

"Your state will not fall under the control of the coup implementers," Mr Siniora said during a televised address.

He called on the army to restore law and order across Lebanon and remove gunmen from the streets.

Restore order

Mr Siniora said his government's core problem with Hezbollah was its unilateral imposition of its culture and ideology on the Lebanese people.

Leaders of Lebanon's rival political factions are due to meet later on Saturday and the Arab League will hold talks about the crisis on Sunday.

In a Sunni suburb of West Beirut, unidentified gunmen targeted the funeral procession of a Sunni civilian killed during clashes on Friday.

Saturday's violence came after Hezbollah militants withdrew from the streets after having crushed resistance by Sunni gunmen loyal to Mr Siniora's government.

In the areas of Beirut worst affected by battles between Hezbollah and pro-government loyalists, barricades that had been set up were abandoned early on Saturday, says the BBC's Jim Muir in the Lebanese capital.

But the TV station run by the Sunni leader Saad Hariri is still off the air after gunmen forced its closure on Friday, our correspondent adds.

Lebanon's cabinet said on Friday the seizure of most of western Beirut by the Shia group was "a bloody coup".

The governing coalition said the move was aimed at increasing Iran's influence and restoring that of Syria.

The fighting was sparked by a government move on Monday to shut down Hezbollah's telecoms network.

The Lebanese army had not intervened to stop Hezbollah fighters from seizing large areas of western Beirut.

But troops were deployed to protect Saad Hariri and other leading figures who support the cabinet of Mr Siniora.

Civil war fears

Lebanon was plunged into civil war from 1975-90, drawing in Syria and Israel, the two regional powers.

High stakes of Lebanon's crisis In pictures: Battle for Beirut

Analysts say the key to avoiding such a conflict this time may be the neutrality of the army, and its ability to withstand the sectarian tensions.

The latest violence amounts to a humiliating blow to the government, which appears to have badly overplayed its hand in moving to close Hezbollah's telecoms network on Tuesday, our correspondent says.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called the move a "declaration of war".

Mr Hariri said it was a "misunderstanding" and urged gunmen from both sides to withdraw "to save Lebanon from hell".

An internal matter?

The fighting has spread and clashes in the north of the country near Tripoli have left at least three people dead on Saturday.

The urban warfare has shut down Lebanon's seaport and all but closed the international airport.

The country has been without a president since last November, amid deadlock between the ruling coalition and Hezbollah-led opposition over the make-up of the government.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran and Syria of inciting Hezbollah to take up arms against the authorities.

"We will stand by the Lebanese government and peaceful citizens of Lebanon through this crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm," she said.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose country long dominated Lebanon, said Lebanon's political crisis was an "internal matter".

Having withdrawn its army from the country in 2005, Syria denies meddling in Lebanon's internal politics.

But Damascus has been accused of involvement in the assassination over the past three years of several anti-Syrians, including former prime minister Rafik Hariri, the father of Saad Hariri.

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