Gun battles have erupted in Beirut after the Hezbollah chief said a Lebanese government crackdown on his group was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Lebanon has been rocked by two days of clashes between rival factions, leading to urgent appeals for calm in the deeply divided country and a blunt US warning to Hezbollah.
Three people were killed in the fighting that erupted between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition in several mixed Sunni and Shia Muslim districts of the capital.
Beirut's streets are virtually deserted as loud explosions and gunfire have shaken the capital as gunmen fired at each other with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah delivered his fiery speech on the second day of anti-government protests that saw supporters of the rival factions block roads with burning tyres and force the closure of Lebanon's international airport.
As many as 30 people have also been wounded in clashes over the two days in Beirut and other towns.
