Army patrols expand in tense Beirut after curfew lifted

Soldiers reinforced patrols and checkpoints around Beirut today following a rare night-time curfew imposed by authorities seeking to quell escalating clashes between factions supporting the Western-backed government and Hezbollah protesters trying to bring it down.

The order to clear the streets – lifted just before dawn – came after rival groups turned a university campus into a battle zone yesterday with at least three people killed when mobs faced off with home-made clubs and stones.