Beirut - Militants of the Shiite movement Hezbollah fought with followers of Lebanon's ruling majority near Beirut on Tuesday, leaving one Hezbollah follower and a Lebanese soldier dead, Lebanese security sources said.

The army intervened after a private dispute escalated into an armed clash in the area of Armoun, 12 kilometres east of Beirut.

Tension between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the western- backed majority returned to the streets on Monday when 16 people were injured after Hezbollah militants fired in the air to celebrate a speech by their leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

Clashes between the bitter rivals early this month led to the killing of 82 people before an Arab-brokered peace deal in Qatar defused the crisis.

Meanwhile, the interior ministry on Tuesday banned motorbikes, political demonstrations as well as flag waving and provocative slogans in Beirut until further notice.

It has become a habit for supporters of rival political parties to drive around the city waving party flags and shooting into the air while slogans blare from loudspeakers.

Hezbollah and its Amal movement ally issued a statement on Tuesday calling on their supporters to put an end to the practice, saying that they would "not provide political cover for them." (dpa)