BEIRUT, May 9, 2008 (AFP) - Gunmen loyal to Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group forced the shutdown of a pro-government television station in west Beirut on Friday, circling the building in the Hamra district and threatening to take it over.

"Armed gunmen surrounded the building, stormed into the garage and demanded through the army the shutdown of the station," the head of Future News Nadim Moulla told AFP. "We decided to place the matter in the hands of the army."

Fierce clashes between supporters of the western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition have rocked a number of neighborhoods in west Beirut in the last three days leaving at least seven dead and dozens injured.

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