Calls for mass protest in Beirut to bring down govt

Hezbollah-led opposition groups have called for mass protests to begin tomorrow in downtown Beirut with the aim of bringing down the Western-backed government.

The call for peaceful street action came in a statement broadcast today on the television stations of Hezbollah and other opposition groups.

It said the street action would begin on Friday at 3pm local time (1300GMT) in downtown Beirut, where the embattled government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora has its headquarters.

The call for protests came after weeks of political tension between pro-Syrian groups in the opposition, led by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah, and anti-Syrian factions supporting the government, which has wide Western backing.