Fighting spreads in Lebanon
Government and opposition supporters clash in a Druze stronghold near Beirut and in the northern city of Tripoli.
“I say to my supporters that civil peace, coexistence and ending the destruction [must] prevail over all the other considerations.”
Jumblatt’s statement came as the number of dead and wounded continued to rise.
“From the day the unrest started, 42 people have been killed and 164 wounded across the country,” a Lebanese security official said.
But Beirut is now coming under the control of the army after opposition forces were ordered to stand down by their commanders.
However, the opposition says it reserves the right to lead a campaign of civil disobedience until its political demands are met.
“This is a significant move. Walid Jumblatt was, through history, a prominent leader in the mountainous areas of Lebanon,” Amin said.
“He fought in the civil war and his fighters have a reputation for their viciousness.
“Now he is asking the opposition to quell the violence, as they seem to be in control of the area.”
Tripoli battles
Earlier on Sunday the army moved into the main northern city of Tripoli, where fierce clashes left one woman dead and at least five people wounded overnight.
An Al Jazeera correspondent reported on Sunday that all groups involved in the Tripoli clashes had agreed on a truce to allow the evacuation of injured people.
An army officer said government supporters fought loyalists of an Alawite sect with links to Hezbollah in the Bab al-Tebbaneh, Kobel and Jabal Mohsen neighbourhoods.
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The current fighting erupted after the government said last week that it would take action against Hezbollah’s communications network
It also called for the airport chief to be reinstated.
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“As for the telecommunications network, the army will look into the issue in a manner that is not harmful to the public interest or the security of the resistance”, the army said, referring to Hezbollah.
The military’s action followed a televised address by Siniora in which he accused Hezbollah of staging a coup, calling the group’s takeover a “poisonous sting” to democracy.