Hezbollah gunmen start withdrawl from Beirut

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hezbollah on Saturday began withdrawing gunmen from Beirut and handed control of the streets to the Lebanese army, after seizing much of the city in gunbattles with supporters of the U.S.-backed government.

Hezbollah, a political group backed by Iran and Syria with a guerrilla army, said it was ending its armed presence in Beirut after the army overturned government measures against the group.

Hezbollah took over much of Beirut on Friday after fighters loyal to the group routed gunmen loyal to the anti-Damascus governing coalition.

Four days of fighting which killed 37 people erupted after the government said it was taking action against Hezbollah's military communications network and sacked the head of security at Beirut airport, who is close to the group.

It was the worst internal fighting since Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war. Hezbollah said the government had declared war by moving against the communications network, which played a crucial role in its 34-day war with Israel in 2006.

The Hezbollah-led opposition said it would maintain a "civil disobedience" campaign until all of its demands were met. That would include barricades on major roads, including all routes to the paralyzed airport, a senior opposition source told Reuters.

Lebanon has been in political deadlock for 18 months over opposition demands for a greater say in government.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, whose legitimacy is disputed by the opposition, on Saturday handed responsibility for the moves against Hezbollah to the army, which has sought to avoid conflict with either side.