(CBS/AP) Unchallenged by the army, Iranian-backed Hezbollah routed Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-allied government and seized control of large swaths of Beirut's Muslim sector Friday, proving it is the most powerful force in Lebanon.

The move dramatically strengthened the Shiite militant group's hand in bitter political battles over the country's future.

At one point, about 100 Hezbollah militants wearing matching camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles marched down the city's main commercial street in a display of power meant to show the government who's in charge.

They took up positions in corners and sidewalks and stopped the few cars braving the empty streets to search their trunks.

Nearby, dozens of fighters from another Hezbollah-allied party appeared, some with their faces masked and carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Elsewhere, Hezbollah-allied militiamen from the Syrian Social Nationalist Party drove in cars, firing in the air in celebration.

Lebanon's army largely stood aside as Shiite fighters scattered their opponents in street fights to occupy most of the capital's Muslim sector.

It was Lebanon's worst sectarian fighting in more than a decade and a grim harkening back to its devastating 1975-90 civil war. That war left Beirut divided into two main sectors, one predominantly Muslim and the other mainly Christian.

At least 15 people have been died in three days of violence.

Hours after the takeover, however, Hezbollah fighters began withdrawing from streets they had occupied and Lebanese troops began moving into some neighborhoods. Others remained on street corners across the area they control as the fighting began to ease.

Christian leader Michel Aoun, a close ally of Hezbollah, declared after Hezbollah's triumph that "the train is back on the right track" and predicted the situation will begin to de-escalate.

The pullback signaled Hezbollah did not intend a lasting takeover of the Sunni Muslim parts of Beirut, unlike the takeover of Gaza a year ago by the Islamic militant Hamas.

Hezbollah and allied gunmen steered away from government buildings and made no attempt to advance toward the city's Christian sector. Christian neighborhoods were peaceful, with troops deployed along the former old civil war demarcation line.

Yet the Hezbollah show-of-force was certain to both strengthen its own political position and deeply worry a Middle East and Western world nervous about Iran's influence and intentions in the region.

The Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition have been deadlocked in a power struggle for 17 months over control of the government.

The stunning turn of events also dealt a blow to the U.S., which has long considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization backed by Syria and Iran, and has been a supporter of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government and its army over the last three years.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Hezbollah is killing and injuring innocent civilians and is "seeking to protect their state-within-a-state."

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the U.S. was very troubled by Hezbollah's actions.

"We urge Hezbollah to stop their attempt to defy the lawful decisions taken by the democratically elected Lebanese government. We also urge Iran and Syria to stop their support of Hezbollah and its destabilizing effects on Lebanon," he added. "We have confidence in the government of Lebanon."

Syria and Qatar agreed Friday that the crisis in Lebanon was an internal issue, and expressed hope that the Lebanese would find a solution through dialogue, reports CBS News' George Baghdadi in Damascus.

The joint statement was issued after a series of discussions earlier in the day between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Qatari Emir Prince Hamad Bin Khaleefa Al-Thani.

"Talks dealt with the current developments in the region, in particular Lebanon, and view points were identical; that the crisis was an internal Lebanese issue," the statement said.

The political crisis has its roots in allegations of Syrian and Iranian interference in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies bolted out of the Cabinet 17 months ago and since then, Saniora has consistently refused their demands for veto power in a future administration.

Hezbollah, in turn, has besieged downtown Beirut with a sit-in, and has blocked the election of a president in parliament, leaving the country without a head of state since November.

Sporadic street clashes had broken out in the last year. But this week's intense violence began after the government tried to fire a Hezbollah-linked airport security chief and shut down a Hezbollah communications network.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in a fiery speech Thursday, called those government decisions a "declaration of war." Shortly after his speech, the worst of the street clashes erupted and the Shiite forces overran Beirut neighborhoods.

"The government tried to show force by shutting down Hezbollah. Hezbollah showed force by pushing back the government," said Jon Alterman, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Middle East Program in Washington.

"Hezbollah emerged stronger and the government emerged weaker, but that's not to say that the government is weaker than Hezbollah," Alterman added.

Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, said Friday he was confident that Lebanon will not drift toward an Iraq-styled sectarian strife.

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