Beirut landmark lit up in Belgian colours

The Lebanese capital Beirut has lit up one of its landmarks in the colours of the Belgian flag in a gesture of solidarity over the suicide attacks in Brussels which killed 31 people.

The Mediterranean city endured a devastating 1975-1990 civil war and was hit by bombings last November which killed 44 people, attacks which were overshadowed by killings in Paris the next day which drew worldwide grief and condemnation.

On Saturday evening one of the Pigeon Rocks, striking natural rock arches by Beirut's sea shore, was bathed alternately in the colours of the Belgian and Lebanese flags.

"Today we send a message of solidarity and affection...and we say to everyone, quite simply, that life must triumph over death," Beirut governor Ziyad Chebib said at a ceremony with Belgium's ambassador to Lebanon.