Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa began a new round of talks with rival Lebanese factions on Tuesday to resolve growing political and sectarian tensions that are threatening to tear the country apart.

His visit, the second to Beirut in less than a week, comes amid plans by the Hezbollah-led opposition to escalate its open-ended street protests against the government of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.

Moussa went straight for a meeting with Siniora shortly after he flew in from Cairo late Tuesday.

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Siniora has been holed up at his office complex in central Beirut amid a tight security cordon since thousands of Hezbollah supporters and Syrian-backed allies began camping and staging mass protests in front of his office earlier this month.

No details of Moussa's discussions with Siniora were disclosed. Moussa was due to hold talks later Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.