Amman  - Jordan on Friday expressed support for the "legitimate" Lebanese government and welcomed a call to convene an emergency Arab League meeting to discuss latest developments in Lebanon.

"Jordan backs Lebanon's legitimate government and constitutional institutions and urges all parties to obey the legitimate authority of the Lebanese state, because ignoring it will lead only to further violence and chaos," Foreign Minister Salah Bashir said.

"Jordan welcomes the convening of an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers out of its keenness on resolving the political crisis in Lebanon and restoring security and discipline there," he added in his statement.

Bashir voiced "extreme concern over the latest deterioration in the political and security situation" as represented by the armed clashes between the pro-government and opposition militias which left at least 10 people killed over the past hours.

He urged all parties to exercise self-restraint and resort to dialogue, and warned that the latest "dangerous escalation will aggravate the situation further and push it to uncontrollable dimensions". (dpa)