Hundreds of people have flooded Lebanon`s border crossings with neighbouring Syria as they fled deadly sectarian violence that has gripped the country for the past three days.
With Lebanon`s only civilian airport and Beirut port closed by the crisis, foreign governments also scrambled to draw up plans to evacuate their citizens.
Crowds of men, women and children gathered at the Arida border crossing in northern Lebanon and the Masnaa crossing in the east seeking to make their way out of the country, AFP correspondents witnessed.
People fleeing the fighting - which has threatened to plunge Lebanon into a new civil war - included Britons, Americans, Germans and Cypriots as well as Syrian labourers.
At Arida tempers flared and children burst into tears as people pushed their way to the front in a bid to get their passports stamped.
"It is an absolutely chaotic situation," one man said, adding that troops had fired in the air to disperse the crowd and beat some people with sticks.
Hezbollah fighters have seized control of west Beirut after three days of deadly street battles with pro-government foes which have pushed Lebanon dangerously close to all-out civil war.
Shelagh, a British woman in her 60s who would give only her first name, said she was on a 10-day visit to Lebanon when fierce clashes between opposition Shiite militants and pro-government forces erupted on Wednesday.
"I was supposed to leave on Sunday and decided instead to leave today in case it got worse," she told AFP. "It seemed like the most sensible thing to do was to leave now."
Beirut airport has been virtually shut since Wednesday as anti-government protests escalated, with militants blocking the main access road with burning tyres and other barricades.
One airport official said all Friday`s flights were cancelled and it was unclear when traffic would resume, adding: "As soon as they open the road, the flights will resume.
At least 13 people were killed in three days of fighting, prompting Arab and Western nations alike to think about the safety of their citizens.
The oil-rich countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates which back the Beirut government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora began evacuating their nationals.
Kuwait said it bussed 150 people to Syria, where some Emiratis were also evacuated, and Riyadh said 70 Saudis had already left Lebanon and that more would do so soon.
Italy`s new foreign minister, Franco Frattini, said on his first full day in office that Rome was setting up a "national (air) bridge" for Italians wanting to flee Lebanon, ANSA news agency reported. The foreign ministry in Rome said some 600 Italians live in Beirut.
Britain and the United States urged their citizens in Lebanon to be vigilant because of the dangerous escalation of events, but the US and French embassies said there were no immediate plans to evacuate their citizens.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Friday said Washington would provide support to Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora battling a deadly offensive by Hezbollah fighters.
"We will stand by the Lebanese government and peaceful citizens of Lebanon through this crisis and provide the support they need to weather this storm," Rice said in a statement.
US State Department officials said the United States would provide diplomatic and political support to Siniora, ruling out any military backing for the time being.
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