Strike plunges Lebanon into chaos

Thousands of Lebanese demonstrators have paralysed much of the country, barricading roads as part of a strike aimed at toppling the government.

Smoke billowed over Beirut as protesters burned tyres and flights in and out of the city were cancelled as roads to the airport were blocked.

The Hezbollah-led opposition called the strike as part of its drive to dislodge the government and hold new elections.

Pro-Western Lebanese leaders accuse strike leaders of staging a coup.

"What is happening is the furthest thing from democratic means," Christian leader Samir Geagea told al-Jazeera television. "This is direct terrorism to paralyse the country."

But an opposition Christian leader, Suleiman Franjieh, told Hezbollah's al-Manar television: "Our campaign will escalate day by day. As long as they won't listen to us, we will not let them rest."

Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has been campaigning since the beginning of December to replace the Western-backed cabinet with a government in which it would have a veto.

Its opposition movement includes some Druze and Christians, factions who also figure within the mainly Sunni Muslim, anti-Syrian government.

The strike comes at a particularly difficult time for the government. Potential donors are gathering on Thursday in Paris for a major aid conference to help get Lebanon back on its feet after last summer's Hezbollah-Israel war.