The judicial source says Bitar is not planning to step down, but it is expected to.
Probe is already struggling as suspects refuse to be questioned or questioned.
Politicians say shootings show probe is harmful analyst Recasts after Hezbollah comments BEIRUT, Oct 15 Reuters: The Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah said on Friday it would not be dragged into civil war even as it stepped up accusations against the Christian Lebanese Forces LF party it says killed seven Shi'ites in Beirut's bloodiest street violence in years.
The accusation, called by the LF, underlines worsening sectarian tensions after Thursday's violence that began as people assembled for a demonstration against the judge investigating last year's Beirut port blast.
The probe into the catastrophic blast appears in increasing doubt fuelled by a bitter political dispute over the lead investigator's attempts to question officials who include Hezbollah allies.
The violence, which erupted at a boundary between Shi'ite Muslim and Christian neighbourhoods, has added to the concerns about stability https: www.reuters.org com article us-lebanon -- crisis-blast -- crisis-explainer explainer-why - is-lebanon -- such-a- mess-idUSKBN 2 H 42 HJ of a country that is awash with weapons and grappling with one of the world's largest economic meltdowns ever.
The Lebanese Forces condemned Thursday violent attacks which it blamed on Hezbollah incitement against Judge Tarek Bitar.
The sound of gunfire could be heard across the Beirut congregation at funerals on Friday.
At the funeral of senior Hezbollah members, which died on Thursday, senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine accused the Lebanese Forces, which had a powerful civil war militia, of trying to start a civil war.
They know that we don't want civil strife, they dared to do that, he said. We will not be drawn into civil war, but at the same time we will not let the blood of our martyrs be in vain. The coffins were draped in military shirts and surrounded by men wearing yellow fatigues during the funeral in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Safieddine accuses the LF of taking orders from the United States, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group, and of being financed by some Arab countries an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia.
Secretary-General Hilary Williamson, on a visit to Beirut on Thursday, expressed condolences for the tragic loss of life and called for calm and de-escalation.
Saudi Arabia, which considers Hezbollah a terrorist state and saw it as the situation would progress as quickly as possible, said it hoped the situation would stabilise as soon as possible.
The army initially fired rounds at protesters on Thursday as they passed through the Teyouneh traffic circle dividing Christian and Shi'ite Muslim neighbourhoods. It later reflected that there had been an altercation and an exchange of fire as protesters were on their way to the demonstration.
The dead include three members of the Shi'ite Amal Movement.
The most powerful group, Hezbollah, led calls for Bitar to be removed from the probe into the explosion, caused by a huge quantity of unsafely stored chemicals and felt in Cyprus some 260 km 155 miles away.
The Bitar-backed group accuses him of leading a politicized probe that has pulled on certain people, including Hezbollah allies whom Bitar has been accused of questioning.
com article Lebanon - crisis-blast - crisis-exposer explainer-why is lebanon such a mess-idUSKBN 2 H 42 HJ, Sunni Prime Minister Najib Mikati suggested concern over Bitar, saying a constitutional error may have been committed, echoing a view that he had exceeded his authority in pursuing top officials.
Many Lebanese including families of victims are furious, fearing ruling politicians will whitewash the inquiry into one of most powerful non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.
Lebanon s ruling establishment will use yesterday's instability to frame the probe as going to do more harm than good, said Lina Khatib, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
The impunity enjoyed by the ruling class will push the port investigation to face the same fate as previous attempts to make those responsible for gross transgressions accountable for indefinite delay with little hope for meaningful results. The crash on the probe has paralysed government as it seeks to dig the country out of the financial meltdown. It also poses threats to West governments from which Beirut hopes to secure aid.
A source told Reuters Bitar had no intention of resigning, even as his opponents fear him responsible for bloodshed.
All those Bitar questioned deny wrongdoing.