Lebanese army starts drive to end armed presence

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Hezbollah, the Shi'ite Muslim movement backed by Iran and Syria, and its opposition allies have routed supporters of the Sunni-led government in Beirut and hills to the east, in fighting that has pushed Lebanon to the brink of a new civil war.

The Lebanese army has until now stayed neutral in the conflict, which has killed 81 people and raised Arab and international concern over the future of the country.

The fighting erupted on May 7 after Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government outlawed Hezbollah's communications network and sacked the Beirut airport security chief, who is close to the group.

Hezbollah said this was a declaration of war and launched a series of attacks which briefly won it control of large parts of Beirut - which it then handed over to the army.

The army command said in a statement on Monday night it would work to end all armed presence in cities and villages from 6 a.m. (4 a.m. British time) and authorised troops to use force if necessary.

It gave no further details but a security source said the measure included the arrest of any gunmen, the taking over of armed positions and the storming of suspected arms depots.

Gunmen from both sides remained in the streets and clashes have been widely reported in many parts of the country.

Even if successful, the army's plan did not mean an end to the opposition's civil campaign to force the government to scrap its the sacking of the security chief and dismantling of the Hezbollah communications network.

Much of Beirut remains paralysed by street barricades erected by Hezbollah and its allies. The capital's air and sea ports remain closed.

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