Maha El Dahan and Laila Bassam wrote this article in Reuters:

The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah said on Friday it would not be dragged into civil war even as it stepped up accusations against the Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) party it says killed seven Shi'ites in Beirut's bloodiest street violence in years.

The accusation, denied by the LF, underlines worsening sectarian tensions after Thursday's violence which began as people were gathering for a protest called by Hezbollah against the judge investigating last year's Beirut port blast.

The probe into the catastrophic blast appears in increasing doubt, fuelled by a bitter political dispute over the lead investigator's attempts to question officials who include Hezbollah allies.

The violence, which erupted at a boundary between Christian and Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhoods, has added to concerns for the stability of a country that is awash with weapons and grappling with one of the world's sharpest ever economic meltdowns.

The Lebanese Forces condemned the violence on Thursday which it blamed on Hezbollah "incitement" against Judge Tarek Bitar, the investigator.

The sound of gunfire could be heard across Beirut during funerals on Friday.

Speaking at the funeral of Hezbollah members killed on Thursday, senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine accused the Lebanese Forces, which had a powerful civil war militia, of trying to start a civil war.

"Because they know that we don't want civil strife, they dared to do that," he said. "We will not be dragged into civil war but at the same time we will not let the blood of our martyrs be in vain."

The coffins were draped in yellow Hezbollah flags and surrounded by men in military fatigues during the funeral in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Safieddine accused the LF of taking orders from the United States, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group, and of being financed by "some Arab countries", an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, on a visit to Beirut on Thursday, expressed condolences for "the tragic loss of life" and called for calm and de-escalation.

Saudi Arabia, which also views Hezbollah as a terrorist group, said it hoped the situation would stabilise as soon as possible.