Lebanese tanks were out in force Sunday on the streets of the northern port city of Tripoli, after two days of sectarian fighting that left at least nine people dead, security official said.
Militants from rival communities of Sunni Muslims and the Shi'ite Alawite sect battled with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons through the night, but by Sunday evening the tensions had eased off, a Lebanese army source said, the dpa reported.
Lebanese security sources in Tripoli said that at least six people were killed in the fighting Friday and another three Saturday. More than 72 were wounded. They included at least three gunmen, two of them Sunnis and one Alawite, but also many civilian residents, including a five-year-old Sunni boy and his father.
The clashes centered in two neighbouring areas of the Mediterranean city - the mainly Sunni district fof Bab al-Tebbaneh and the mostly Alawite one of Jabal Mohsen.
An army statement warned the troops deployed in the area "will use force if necessary to protect civilians and their property and bar armed presence" on the streets.
Security sources in Tripoli said almost 2,200 families had fled their homes in the two neighbourhoods, and continued to be homeless for a thrid day running.
Tripoli municipality chief Mohammed Rashid Jamali said most are now holed in eight schools across the city waiting to return home.
The Lebanese army said it arrested a Sunni gunman, Abu Fadi Arour, in Bab al-Tebbaneh after a 30-minute clash with the Lebanese army.