'War has started,' Hezbollah leader says

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Gunfire broke out in downtown Beirut Thursday after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said recent government actions amount to "a declaration of open war."

"Just in the past few minutes ... things have gotten a lot worse," CNN's Cal Perry reported from downtown Beirut. The sound of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades could be heard throughout his live reports.


Perry, who took cover with the Lebanese army, said government forces have not yet reacted to the violence.

The violence appeared limited to Shiite and Sunni neighborhoods in the capital, near CNN's Beirut bureau. There were no reports of violence in Beirut's Christian neighborhoods. Video Watch Perry call in through gunfire »

The Lebanese army, which is charged with trying to keep peace in the capital, is in a precarious position, Perry explained.

"When you're talking about this much gunfire, when you're talking about RPG fire, it's absolutely ludicrous to think that the army will put themselves between these two factions," he said.