Lebanese factions clash in Beirut

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Supporters of Western-backed Sunni prime minister-designate Saad Hariri have clashed with followers of the Shia Amal group in Lebanon's capital Beirut.

A woman was killed and two other people were injured during the clashes, with gunfire reported in several districts.

Troops were deployed and the army reportedly warned it would fire on any armed person on the streets.

It came a day after Mr Hariri was named PM with the backing of politicians from Amal and his own parliamentary bloc.

It was not clear what sparked Sunday's clashes, which lasted a couple of hours, and reportedly involved automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

Fatal stray bullet

But tension is said to have mounted on Saturday when Mr Hariri's supporters set off fireworks to celebrate him being named as prime minister.

A 30-year-old woman was killed by a stray bullet during the fighting in the Aisha Bakkar area of west Beirut, security officials said.

"Orders have been given to [the army] to open fire on any armed person appearing on the streets and it will not tolerate any breach of security," said a statement from the army leadership, reported Reuters news agency.

Saad Hariri is the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri

In a parliamentary election earlier this month, Mr Hariri's pro-Western alliance won 71 out of 128 seats, with the Hezbollah-led bloc taking the rest.

The rival Amal movement - which is aligned with the Hezbollah-led opposition - supported Mr Hariri's nomination as premier after his followers helped re-elect the Amal leader, Nabih Berri, as speaker of parliament.

Mr Hariri, the 39-year-old billionaire son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, must now stitch together a cabinet from the country's polarised political factions.

Analysts have said any unity government will almost certainly include members of the militant movement Hezbollah or its supporters.

The BBC's Natalia Antelava in Beirut says one particular stumbling block for the new prime minister could be the issue of Hezbollah's arms.

The group wants to protect its militia, which is more powerful than Lebanon's army, and it is demanding veto power over major government decisions.

This has been resisted by Mr Hariri, who met the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah before his nomination by parliament.

Once he has formed a cabinet, Mr Hariri will take over from his ally Fuad Siniora, who has held the post since 2005.

After years of Lebanon's domination by Syria, the pro-Western bloc swept to power in 2005 following the assassination of Rafik Hariri in a car bombing in Beirut.

Popular discontent after the bomb attack forced Syria to withdraw its troops amid accusations of its involvement in the killing. The government in Damascus has strongly denied the claims.