Beirut  - Beirut residents were seen early Friday fleeing the city towards Christian east Beirut, after clashes engulfed the city throughout the night, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 30 others, according to hospital sources.

Taking advantage of sporadic lulls Friday morning some people fled with their children to safer areas.

The opposition-led Hezbollah is now in control of most of the city of Beirut and is heading towards the house of majority leader Saad Hariri, while others are trying to reach an area where anti-Syrian leader Walid Jumblatt is residing.

Gunfire and rocket propelled grenades were still heard across the city.

The mouthpiece of the Sunni Muslim Future Current movement al Mustaqbal newspaper, owned by the Hariri family, was stormed by opposition followers at dawn.

"The army now is inside the building of the newspaper and the employees are now safe," said a journalist who works for the newspaper.

Future Television, also owned by the Hariri family, is now under the control of the army, and the station has stopped its broadcasts.

The situation deteriorated in Beirut after a rare press conference via video link by Hezbollah chief sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday.

Nasrallah, blasting the government probe of his group's communications network, said: "The hand that extends to touch the network would be chopped off."

Nasrallah also called the Western-backed government of Lebanon's Premier Fouad Seniora as a "gang" and described anti-Syrian Druze leader Walid Jumblatt of "being the prime minister of Lebanon and not Premier Fouad Seniora."

Nasrallah warned that Lebanon's long-running political crisis had "entered a new phase" after a government crackdown on activities by his Shiite militant group.

The clashes prompted the head of the ruling majority, Saad Hariri to hold a press conference Thursday, urging Hezbollah to lift Beirut's "siege."

"I urge you to lift the siege on Beirut and to withdraw your armed militants," Hariri said.

On sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites, Sunni politician Hariri said "this is a crime that must stop immediately."

The latest round of tensions was sparked by the government's decision earlier this week to confront Hezbollah by replacing the Beirut airport security chief for alleged ties to the Shiite group.

Supporters of the Hezbollah-led opposition blocked roads in the capital Wednesday to enforce a strike called by labour unions protesting the government's economic policies and demanding pay raises.

The strike quickly escalated into street confrontations between supporters of the rival camps. About a dozen people were injured, mostly by stones, but no deaths were reported.

On Thursday, the violence spread outside the capital. Sunnis and Shiites exchanged gunfire in the village of Saadnayel in the eastern Bekaa Valley. Four people were injured, said security officials.

At least one person was killed and 10 others were wounded during the daytime clashes.

Lebanon is passing through its worst crisis, since the country's 15-year civil war ended in 1990. The political division has left the country without a president since November, when pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his mandate with no elected successor. (dpa)