Black smoke from burning tires cover the horizon over the city of Chtoura in east Lebanon, Jan. 23.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 23--Protests of thousands of Shiite Muslim and Christian protestors paralyzed Lebanon Tuesday by burning tires and cars on major thoroughfares in and around the capital to enforce a general strike that aims to topple the government.
Clustering in small groups to man the blazing roadblocks, opposition supporters escalated their nearly two-month protest, AP reported.
Commuters were stranded and silence hung over many commercial districts amid reports of scattered violence.
Police said seven people suffered gunshot wounds in disturbances between supporters of the guerrilla group and pro-government activists in central and northern Lebanon.
Michel Aoun, a senior opposition leader, told Al-Arabiya television that the wounded were all members of the opposition.
Police and troops deployed in the thousands across the country worked to open roads, sometimes negotiating with protestors, but refraining from using force. In some instances, the military separated the opposition and government supporters, who scuffled and hurled rocks and insults.
Hezbollah Chief Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and other opposition leaders called the strike, which was backed by labor unions. Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and his supporters urged citizens to ignore the call, a move endorsed by banking associations and business leaders.
Witness accounts and TV footage suggest that the opposition had shut down many neighborhoods and suburbs of the capital, Beirut, as well as areas around the country.
Many workers stayed home, either in support of the strike or in fear of violence. Some schools which had earlier said they were open sent cellphone text messages to parents announcing closures because of the unrest.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--Government spokesman, Gholamhossein Elham, said on Tuesday Iran has no problem with IAEA and it will continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The spokesman was reacting to recent statements by the head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, concerning a ban on the visit by a number of IAEA inspectors to Iran.
Speaking to reporters, Elham stressed that the official news should be announced by official sources, IRNA reported. Boroujerdi had said on Monday that Iran should prevent 38 IAEA inspectors from visiting Iran as the first step in implementing the Majlis ratification on reconsidering Iran-IAEA cooperation.
He pointed out that governmental institutions, including Foreign Ministry and Supreme National Security Council, have spokesmen to disseminate information about important issues, including Iran’s nuclear case.
“With regard to IAEA, it is the right of the governments to comment on IAEA inspectors,“ he said.

TEHRAN, Jan. 23--Summoning the president to Majlis over rising prices and some of the cabinet decisions might only worsen the problem, the first vice speaker said on Tuesday.
Commenting on the plan for summoning the president, Mohammad Reza Bahonar added that the rightwing faction’s viewpoint should be preferred over individual moves, ILNA reported.
Bahonar, who also heads the Majlis rightwing faction, said, “If a member of the faction wishes to do something this serious [summoning Ahmadinejad] and expects the faction’s support, we will certainly not do that.“
Asked about questioning President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on high prices and some of the cabinet decisions, Bahonar said, “I think that under the present circumstances, it would be unnecessary. Summoning the president to the Majlis would not solve any problem; it might worsen the problem.“
Questioned regarding the formation of the new rightwing faction, Bahonar said, “I think that of the 200 members of the rightwing faction in Majlis, nothing has diminished. However, some of our friends in the rightwing faction believe the ninth administration must be dealt with more seriously.“
The vice speaker noted that some rightwingers accuse him and the presiding board of being soft on the administration.
“I do not believe in confrontations and some do not like to emphasize differences between the Majlis and the administration,“ he said.
Bahonar stressed that it is not advisable to emphasize differences under the present circumstances.