While many gunmen posed for each other and were taking photographs with their mobile phones, residents of some Sunni neighbourhoods that had been effectively under siege since Thursday shyly ventured outside. "Beirut has fallen by force but not in spirit and not politically," said Joanna, one resident of predominantly Muslim west Beirut who was trapped inside her home for most of the day as fighters swarmed through the streets outside. The Shiite militants seized control of swathes of the west of the city, including Sunni strongholds and pro-government media outlets, after a third day of fighting. "It is relatively quiet now. A few stores have opened up. It's better than earlier -- at least we aren't seeing gunmen in the streets," said Samih, 45, who lives in the predominantly Sunni Tareeq al-Jadeedeh area.

Groups of young men who appeared to be unarmed gathered on street corners in the afternoon after the fighting ended. Samih added that although the army was now patrolling the streets, this "isn't enough to reassure people it's over." Abu Khalil, a resident of the Corniche al-Mazraa area which saw heavy fighting, said: "I lived through the (civil) war, and as usual whenever a party has demands they take to the streets with guns."

As an uneasy calm began to settle on Friday afternoon, cleaning crews began clearing away the mess and debris created by three days of violence. Earlier in the day, after a long night of heavy shootouts, many residents tried to make their way out of the city. "Everyone is running away," Beirut resident Imad said on Friday as Hezbollah gunmen roamed the streets of the Lebanese capital, in the grip of deadly gunbattles between feuding Sunni and Shiite factions. "Last night was surreal and chaotic... I am still in shock that this is happening in Beirut," said Rasha al-Jundi, 24, who lives in the usually bustling Hamra business district. "The bangs were so loud. They shook the whole building... You would hear the shooting of different kinds of weapons, hand guns, machine guns and rocket propelled grenades."

Imad, a 35-year-old businessman who lives in the Ras An-Nabaa area of predominantly Muslim west Beirut, said opposition militants had "fired at least 150 rockets. They sent us an army. "One woman and her child were killed by a rocket as they were trying to escape. Between every three or four buildings you would see Hezbollah guards wearing yellow arm bands. They have taken over the whole area."

The fighting has stoked fears of a new sectarian conflict after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused the government of making a declaration of war by planning a crackdown on its communications network. People rushed to the few stores that remained open to stockpile on food and other basic supplies, with all stores and businesses except for the occasional market or pharmacy shut. Others remained trapped in their homes as armed militants patrolled their streets, where sporadic shooting could still be heard.