Lebanese army to control Tripoli

Lebanese authorities have ordered that the coastal city of Tripoli be placed under army control, as the death toll of sectarian clashes, fuelled by Syria' raging war, continued to rise.

"It has been decided, for a period of six months, to task the army with all necessary measures to restore security," interim Prime Minister Najib Mukati's office said on Monday.

This is the first time since the end of Lebanon's civil war in 1990 that the army has been ordered full control of a city.

The army will be in charge of carrying out arrests ordered by the judiciary. The military has announced the increase of security measures, such as patrols and checkpoints, in the northern port city.

The weekend's clashes were sparked by divisions over the conflict in Syria.

The city's Sunni Muslims largely support Syria's opposition, while the Alawite population tend to favour President Bashar al-Assad.

The clashes also left 49 people wounded including 11 soldiers, a security source said.

Tripoli, with a small Alawite community surrounded by a Sunni majority, is seen as one of Lebanon's most volatile sectarian fault-lines.

President Assad is an Alawite and is fighting a Sunni-led revolt.

Correspondents say tensions have been high since last week, when residents of the Alawite district of Jabal Muhsin began flying Syrian flags in support of President Assad.

In response, residents of the neighbouring Sunni district of Bab al-Tabbana raised the flag favoured by Syrian rebels.

Clashes broke out on Saturday, leaving at least six dead, and continued into the night.

On Sunday, at least four people were hit by sniper fire, including an off-duty soldier and two people in a lorry.

On-off fighting between the two districts has claimed scores of lives over the past two years.