DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

A tense calm has returned to Lebanon following the latest fighting between anti- and pro-government supporters in the hills south-east of the capital, Beirut. Forces from the Shi'ite organisation Hezbollah and its Druze allies fought gunmen loyal to pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt for several hours. The fighting ended after Jumblatt contacted a rival Druze leader and asked him to broker a cease-fire. At least eight people were killed, bringing the death toll in five days of clashes to more than 50, with 150 others wounded. Meanwhile, Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo have urged the warring Lebanese factions to immediately cease fighting. They said in a statement issued following the talks that they would send a delegation to Lebanon to try to broker a settlement between the Hezbollah-led opposition and the Western-backed government.