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Rival students clash in Lebanon Rival students clash in Lebanon
(10 minutes later)
Clashes at a Beirut university between students from rival political factions have left at least one person dead and more than 20 injured, reports say. Clashes at a Beirut university between students from rival political factions have left at least one person dead and more than 20 injured, reports said.
Fighting between government supporters and opponents broke out at the Beirut Arab University in the south of the capital and moved on to the streets.Fighting between government supporters and opponents broke out at the Beirut Arab University in the south of the capital and moved on to the streets.
The army has been called in to try to break up the crowds and restore order.The army has been called in to try to break up the crowds and restore order.
This follows a crippling Hezbollah-led opposition strike on Tuesday during which three people died in clashes.This follows a crippling Hezbollah-led opposition strike on Tuesday during which three people died in clashes.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has been campaigning since the beginning of December to replace the Western-backed cabinet with a government in which it would have a veto.Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has been campaigning since the beginning of December to replace the Western-backed cabinet with a government in which it would have a veto.
The protesters see the government as being too close to the West, and accuse it of bankrupting Lebanon.The protesters see the government as being too close to the West, and accuse it of bankrupting Lebanon.
Correspondents say the area has a mixed Sunni and Shia population. Difficult to contain
Some of the injuries came as a result of gunfire in clashes that included battles with sticks and rocks. Black smoke billowed from cars engulfed in flames as armoured vehicles full of soldiers moved in, firing shots in to the air, trying to keep the rival groups apart.
The violence has spread to other parts of the capital. Cars and tyres have been set on fire, blocking roads. Soldiers have been firing shots in to the air, trying to disperse the crowds. The clashes will be difficult to contain as the area is "a warren"Some of the injuries came as a result of gunfire in clashes between the students that included battles with sticks and rocks.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says the clashes will be difficult for the army to contain as this is a house-to-house, street-to-street running battle. The fighting grew out of an argument between pro-government Sunni Muslims and supporters of the Shia Hezbollah-led opposition movement in the university's cafeteria, students told AP news agency.
As the row escalated Hezbollah supporters called in help, and residents from the local Sunni neighbourhood joined in.
The violence quickly spread from the main campus on to the streets and in to other parts of the capital.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says the clashes will be difficult for the army to contain as it is a warren of an area - it is a house-to-house, street-to-street running battle.
The clashes come as foreign donors meeting in Paris pledged more than $7.6bn (£3.5bn) to help the country rebuild following last summer's conflict between Hezbollah militants and Israel.