Lebanon is hanging between fears of all-out war and hopes of political compromise as government supporters and opponents battled with rockets and machine guns in the mountains overlooking the capital.

But Beirut was quiet after Hezbollah gunmen left the streets, heeding an army call for the Shiite fighters to clear out.

An 18-month political stand-off in Lebanon erupted into sectarian clashes over the past five days, killing at least 38 people.

It was the worst violence since the end of its 15-year civil war in 1990.

The opposition quit the Cabinet 17 months ago, demanding a veto over all government decisions.

The deadlock has kept parliament from electing a new president since November.

Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers have met in Egypt to try to find a solution to the latest escalation in Lebanon's ongoing crisis.

They called for an immediate halt to the violence and for all gunmen to pull out of Beirut.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said a delegation would soon leave for Lebanon to try to broker a settlement. But he did not give a date.

"The meeting called on the Lebanese speaker of the house, the Lebanese prime minister and leaders of oppositions from all sides to attend a meeting with an Arab League committee headed by Qatar prime minister, myself as Secretary General and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Bahrain, Djibouti, Yemen and Algeria, and this committee will travel to Lebanon in the near future."