The Lebanese army says it will impose a ban on carrying arms in the streets as of Tuesday morning and it will use force to enforce the ban. The military announced on Monday that the ban would impose from 6 a.m. Tuesday, warning that it would resort to force if it had to do so. The announcement was made following days of fierce clashes between rival political groups across the country. The battles spread to northern Lebanon and the Mount Lebanon region after relative calm was restored to Beirut.
The army has been struggling to quell violence without taking sides. The fierce fighting started after the Western back government outlawed a telecommunication network used by Hezbollah and sacked Beirut Airport's security chief over alleged ties with the resistance movement. At least 61 people were killed and more than 200 injured in the battles.