Hezbollah gunmen seize control of Beirut neighborhoods

An ally of Hezbollah said the group intended to pull back, at least partially, from the areas its gunmen occupied overnight and Friday morning _ signaling Hezbollah likely does not intend a full-scale, permanent takeover of Sunni Muslim parts of Beirut, similar to the Hamas takeover of Gaza a year ago.

The clashes eased by Friday evening as Lebanon's army began peacefully moving into some areas where Hezbollah gunmen had a presence.

But as Hezbollah gunmen celebrated in the capital's empty streets _ including marching down Hamra Street, one of its glitziest shopping lanes _ it was clear that the show-of-force would have wide implications for Lebanon and the entire Mideast.

Lebanon's army largely stood aside as the Shiite militiamen scattered their opponents and occupied large swaths of the capital's Muslim sector early Friday _ a sign of how tricky Lebanon's politics have become.

In one instance, the army stood aside as Shiite militiamen burned the building of the newspaper of their main Sunni rival _ acting only to evacuate people and then allow firefighters later to put out the blaze.

The army has pledged to keep the peace but not take sides in the long political deadlock _ which pits Shiite Hezbollah and a handful of allies including some Christian groups, against the U.S.-backed government, which includes Christian and Sunni Muslims.

Three days of street battles and gunfights capped by Friday's Hezbollah move have killed at least 14 people and wounded 20 _ the country's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Three more people were killed in two separate incidents on Friday after the Hezbollah takeover. Two of them were Druse allies of Hezbollah who died in a shooting in a hilly suburb southeast of the capital late Friday, security officials said.

For Beirut residents and those across the Mideast, it was a grim reminder of that troubled time when Beirut was carved into enclaves ruled by rival factions and car bombs and snipers devastated the capital.