Civil defence members attempt to put out a fire inside a building after gunfire erupted in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. (REUTERS/Aziz Taher)
Lebanon's former prime minister, Saad al-Hariri, tweeted that the violence that erupted in Beirut on Thursday was reminiscent of the 1975-1990 civil war and that it was "unacceptable on all levels".
Six people were shot dead in Beirut on Thursday, in an attack on supporters of Hezbollah and its ally who were gathering to demand the removal of the judge investigating the explosion that ripped through the city's port last year.
The shooting, which took place on a frontline of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war and evoked scenes reminiscent of that conflict, marks the deadliest civil violence in Beirut since 2008.
It also highlights a deepening crisis over the probe into the catastrophic August 2020 explosion that is undermining government efforts to tackle one of the most dramatic economic meltdowns in history.
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said snipers had opened fire and aimed at people's heads.
