Security forces have deployed tears gas against thousands of angry protesters in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Angry demonstrations broke out during a public funeral for the security chief Wissam al-Hassan who was killed by a car bomb on Friday.
Lebanese opposition leader Saad al-Hariri urges calm as reports that police are firing machines guns and rifles in tot he air to try and scatter protesters in Beirut.
Reuters is reporting that heavy gunfire has been heard as protesters try and storm the Prime Minister's office.
Smoke grenades have been thrown as crowds become violent after the funeral of Lebanese intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan.
Protesters have thrown missiles at police and attacked cordon.
The Foreign Secretary has tweeted his support for the people of Lebanon as they mourn the death of Wissam al-Hassan:
My thoughts are with all Lebanese people as they grieve for those so brutally murdered on Friday
From @WilliamJHague on Twitter:Thousands of people have started gathering in central Beirut for the funeral of slain intelligence officer Wissam al-Hassan, a ceremony that is expected could become a rally against Syrian authorities.
Lebanese politicians have accused Syria's leadership of having a role in the assassination, which deepened fears the civil war there is spreading beyond its borders.
Soldiers have been deployed in force across Beirut in preparation for the funeral, with squads standing guard at road junctions and stopping cars from entering the downtown area.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Beirut after a leading Lebanese opposition group said it holds Prime Minister Najib Mikati personally responsible for the assassination of a top Lebanese security officer.
A car bomb exploded in the Lebanese capital on Friday, killing Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan and seven others, and left dozens wounded.
Opposition group the Future Movement has called for the Prime Minister's resignation.
Protesters took to the streets and chanted outside Mr Mikati's office, as others went to the grave site of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated in February 2005.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US condemns the "acts of terrorism" that took place in Beirut and "remains committed to an independent, sovereign, and stable Lebanon".
#SecClinton: The U.S. condemns the acts of terrorism that took place in #Beirut’s Achrafieh neighborhood. #Lebanon http://t.co/cJ7RLbZw
From @StateDept on Twitter:#SecClinton: We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who were killed. #Beirut http://t.co/cJ7RLbZw
From @StateDept on Twitter:#SecClinton: The assassination of Wissam al-Hassan is a dangerous sign there are those who seek to undermine #Lebanon’s stability. #Beirut
From @StateDept on Twitter:Prime Minister David Cameron has called Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to offer his condolences after a bomb blast in the capital Beirut, a Downing Street spokesman said.
The spokesman said in a statement:
The Prime Minister called Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon this evening to express his condolences over the tragic bomb attack in Beirut.
The Prime Minister offered his full support to Prime Minister Mikati and the Lebanese state in the efforts to preserve national unity and stability in Lebanon.
