to account for that blast. here's how today's events unfolded. before midday local time, supporters of hezbollah and the amal movement gathered at the palace ofjustice, pressing for the removal ofjudge tarek bitar, who is leading the inquiry into port blast. they're chanting and burning pictures of him. this is the scene in one neighbourhood of beirut. two kilometres away, the situation had escalated significantly. you can hear gunfire and see bullets hitting buildings. hezbollah said they were fired on by snipers on rooftops. journalists on the ground said hezbollah supporters returned fire with ak—lfl assault rifles and rocket—propelled grenades. the army moved in to try and contain the situation. but the chaos continued. two loud explosions followed. the shooting continued, one woman was hit by a stray bullet inside her home. bullets also landed near a local school. this was the scene at around 2pm local, two hours after the violence started. residents are fleeing their homes, debris is falling from buildings, and there is more gunfire.