Beirut, Jan 23 (DPA) Roads in the city centre and southern suburbs of Beirut were closed Tuesday as the opposition called for a daylong strike to protest the western-backed government Premier Fouad Seniora.

According to eyewitnesses, many roads were closed by burning tyres in Ouzai district, close to Beirut's international airport. Roads were also obstructed on the outskirts of Beirut's southern suburbs - a hotbed of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah who is leading the opposition.

Roads linking Christian east Beirut with the Muslim sector of the capital were also closed by burning tyres and empty trash cans.

Opposition followers shut the main link between Beirut and Chaka in northern Lebanon as well as the primary road with southern Lebanon. Heavy smoke was seen billowing from various areas on the outskirts of the capital.

Lebanese army troops were working on opening the main roads and removing obstacles.

On Monday, Prime Minister Seniora urged the Lebanese people to ignore the one-day strike called by the opposition and pledged to keep roads open so that people could get to work.

The opposition called the strike to escalate their indefinite sit-in outside government offices in central Beirut that started Dec 1 in a bid to topple the western-backed government.

The strike was announced Saturday as part of Hezbollah's chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's vow to escalate measures to achieve their goal of a national unity government. Hezbollah wants to replace the Western-backed cabinet with a national unity government in which it would have veto power.