Heavy gunfire in west Beirut as clashes continue

BEIRUT (AFP) - Heavy gunfire was heard in a Sunni district of west Beirut early Monday, just hours after clashes that followed the funeral of a top Lebanese security official killed in a car bomb blast.

For more than an hour, the sound of automatic weapons could be heard coming from the Tariq Jdideh district, an AFP correspondent said.

Soldiers prevented reporters and photographers from approaching the area and neither the army nor security services have so far made any comment.

Local television station Al-Jadeed carried appeals from local residents for the injured to be evacuated. Heavy gunfire could be heard in the background.