Fraught calm follows Beirut’s worst day of sectarian violence in decade

World leaders appeal for peace in Lebanese capital as militia groups prepare to bury dead

A day after the worst sectarian violence in Beirut in more than a decade, a fraught calm hung over the city on Friday with streets largely empty and government offices closed as militia groups started to bury their dead.

Gunfire briefly resounded through areas that on Thursday were the scenes of intense fighting, but armed men were shooting into the air - a defiant precursor to funerals that were due to start.