Photo by: AFP

Workers frantically cleaned windows and trucks delivered supplies after the Hezbollah-led opposition ordered the dismantling of a tent camp on the heels of a deal sealed on Wednesday with the Western-backed government. "Today is cause for celebration," said a beaming Hassan Jaffal, 31, who manages Klub's restaurant, as the last of the tents were being removed on Wednesday night.

A festive mood took hold in Beirut as a sit-in that choked the capital was lifted and signs of life began to return to the heart of the city. "It's a different atmosphere today and more relaxed," said Philip, 43, a building manager in the area.

His friend Ramzi Ismail, a mechanic, said: "It's time they keep their problems between themselves. First we shut down the town for the national dialogue (in 2006) and now for their sit-in. People just want to live."

Barbed wire that blocked the road leading to the government compound housing the prime minister's office was removed as the last remnants of the tent city were being cleaned up. While not all the roads in the area have been reopened, groups blocking them off said they expected the barricades to be removed within the next 24 hours.