Thursday, the head of the Lebanese National Liberal Party, Camille Dory Chamoun, wrote on Twitter that “the army remains the protector of the nation. There will be no return to destructive wars.”

Chamoun called on the Lebanese army to strike with an iron fist, saying: “No to thuggish militia, no to sectarianism.”

At least six people were killed and 30 others were injured Thursday in an exchange of fire that coincided with a demonstration by supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal movement against the judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion case.

AFP correspondents heard heavy gunfire and two explosions in the Tayouneh area of Beirut.

Local media circulated videos showing armed men firing in the streets, amid reports of snipers in the buildings.

The Lebanese army announced that "while protesters were heading to the Adliya area, they were exposed to bursts of fire in the Tayouneh area - Badaro, and the army rushed to cordon off the area.”

The Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the Tayouneh and near the Palace of Justice areas in Beirut, and later announced the closure of surrounding schools and institutions in the Tayouneh area.

Earlier Thursday, dozens of Hezbollah and Amal supporters demonstrated in front of the Palace of Justice in Beirut, rejecting the performance of the judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion, who has requested to prosecute political and security officials.

The demonstration coincided with the rejection by the Civil Court of Cassation of a lawsuit filed by two former ministers requesting that Bitar be removed from the case, allowing him to resume his investigations.