Pressure mounts on Siniora to go

Dubai: Hezbollah fighters seized control of west Beirut on Friday as three days of deadly street battles with pro-government forces pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war and mounted pressure on Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to step down.

As convoys of opposition gunmen firing celebratory shots into the air and flashing victory signs took to the streets after routing forces loyal to the Western-backed government, the ruling coalition said Hezbollah's takeover of west Beirut was an "armed coup" aimed at bringing Syria back into the country and serving Iran's interests.

"The armed and bloody coup which is being implemented aims to return Syria to Lebanon and extend Iran's reach to the Mediterranean," the coalition said in a statement read by Christian leader Samir Geagea.

A senior opposition official strongly denied the charges. "We are not carrying out a coup - all of this is related to the government's decisions. We are offering partnership ... and they want to monopolise power and limit our share."

Hariri media outlets shut

The fighting was sparked by a government move on Monday to shut down Hezbollah's telecom network and sack Beirut airport's security chief. But Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Fatfat ruled out any chance of the government going back on its decision.

"It would be easier for the Siniora government to resign than to revoke its decision," Fatfat told AFP. Security sources said at least 15 people had been killed and 45 wounded in the three days of battles.

The opposition said it would maintain roadblocks around Beirut until there was a solution to the political crisis. Hezbollah gunmen also took control of media outlets owned by governing coalition leader Sa'ad Al Hariri, whose television and radio stations went off the air.

The United States meanwhile mounted diplomatic efforts to support the embattled Beirut government. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be telephoning leaders in the region, a State Department spokesman told reporters, "to restate our unswerving commitment and support for the Siniora government".

The White House separately said it was "very troubled" by Hezbollah's actions and urged Iran and Syria to halt their support for the Lebanese group. "We have confidence in the government of Lebanon," a White House spokesman told reporters in Texas.