Beirut (AP): Shiite opposition gunmen seized control of several Beirut neighbourhoods from Sunni foes loyal to the US-backed government on Friday, in street battles that left 11 dead, security officials said.

In a sign of the collapse of the pro-government forces in the face of the onslaught by the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah and Amal groups in the Lebanese capital's Muslim sector, the TV station of top Sunni politician Saad Hariri's Future Movement was forced off the air.

The offices of the affiliated al-Mustaqbal newspaper in the coastal neighbourhood of Ramlet el-Bayda were also set on fire by gunmen and white smoke could be seen billowing from the building. The army subsequently took over the area and firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Lebanese troops were also evacuating the staff of the TV station's terrestrial and satellite studios in the Kantari area of western Beirut, said Nadim Mounla, the station's chief. He said gunmen massed near the station and "asked through the army to close down or it will be destroyed."

Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the press, said today a total of 11 people have been killed and more than 20 wounded. On Thursday, they had reported four killed and eight wounded, suggesting most of the casualties occurred in clashes overnight.

The crackle of gunfire and occasional explosions continued to reverberate across the western, largely Muslim, sector of the city.