At least one person has been killed and several others injured in gunfire during an anti-Hezbollah protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. Violence broke out as activists gathered to protest the Islamist group's involvement in Syria.
Men in black shirts began to scuffle with protesters as they
arrived in front of the Embassy in preparation for the
demonstration, Lebanese publication the Daily Star reported. The
men also fired gunshots into the air to disperse the activists.
Lebanese state news reported that the army quickly restored calm and cordoned off the area following the outbreak of violence.
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Hezbollah helped Syrian government forces expel armed rebels from
the strategic region of Qusayr on Saturday, a move that was
criticized by Washington.
"Hezbollah and Iran should immediately withdraw their fighters
from Syria," State Department spokesperson Jay Carney said,
accusing the two of aiding the Syrian government in its battle
for Qusayr. The US regards Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
The head of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, has justified the group’s
involvement in the Syrian conflict, maintaining they are
defending Lebanese-inhabited border villages inside Syria and
Shia Muslim holy sites.