Lebanon pauses amid tense calm after deadly gun battles

By SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Schools, banks and government offices across Lebanon have shut down to observe a day of mourning announced by the government. The pause comes a day after hours of gun battles involving militiamen using automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades killed seven people and injured dozens more. The violence broke out at a protest organized by the two main Shiite parties, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. They called for the removal of the lead judge investigating last year’s massive explosion at Beirut port. On Friday, residents in the Tayouneh area of Beirut swept glass from the streets while soldiers guarded the battered neighborhood and barbed wire was put up at street entrances.