Beirut  -  At Least four people were killed and 20 wounded in Beirut Saturday when unidentified gunmen fired at a funeral procession of a Sunni Muslim man killed in the ongoing clashes.

A witness said that as the procession was heading to a cemetery on the outskirts of the Sunni neighbourhood of Tarek al Jadideh, they came under fire.

Gunmen were later seen returning to the streets as army soldiers cordoned off the area.

Fears of civil war have gripped Lebanon after Hezbollah fighters seized control of west Beirut following three days of fighting with pro-government forces.

At least 20 people have been killed and over 50 wounded in the violence that erupted on Wednesday.

Th fighting escalated after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called a government crackdown on his powerful militant group a declaration of war.

The trigger for the unrest was the government's decision to probe Hezbollah's private communications network. (dpa)