Army acts to restore Lebanon calm

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The Lebanese army has been deployed to the northern city of Tripoli to try to restore calm after sectarian clashes left at least four dead and 50 injured.

The clashes erupted on Tuesday in the neighbourhoods of Bab Tibbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.

Sunni supporters of the Lebanese government fought Alawites aligned with the Hezbollah-led opposition.

Fighting has continued in Tripoli despite a deal reached in May aimed at ending long-running political strife.

The latest clashes died down in the port city, 80km (50 miles) north of Beirut, after the troops took up positions in the mainly Sunni Bab Tibbaneh and the Alawite Jabal Mohsen.

The Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam.

Dozens of army vehicles moved into "sensitive areas", a military statement said

"The army will confront those who fire first and calls on all parties to show calm and allow the military to take control of the situation," the statement said.

Unity government

In clashes on Wednesday, television pictures showed masked gunmen running down otherwise deserted streets.

A ceasefire was agreed from 2000 on Wednesday to allow the army to deploy although sporadic firing continued through the night.

At least nine people were killed and 44 wounded in two days of fierce fighting between the two neighbourhoods in June.

Lebanon's Western-backed prime minister, Fouad Siniora, is trying to form a government of national unity with opposition parties.

At the weekend he said he was confident an administration would be formed soon.

The country has been deeply divided on sectarian and political lines since the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri in 2005.

A majority of Lebanon's large Sunni Muslim community are in the pro-government camp, while most Shias support Hezbollah and the opposition.

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