The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, is killing and injuring innocent civilians in Lebanon.

Rice says that Hezbollah is trying to protect its "state-within-a-state."

Her statement was read at a State Department briefing Friday.

In Lebanon Friday, Shiite Hezbollah gunmen seized control of key parts of Beirut from Sunnis loyal to the U.S.-backed government.

The move capped three days of street battles and gunfights that have killed at least 14 people and wounded 20. It has been the country's worst sectarian fighting since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Rice says Hezbollah's violence has demonstrated "contempt for its fellow Lebanese."

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