Gunfights have broken out in several areas of Lebanon following the funeral of the senior intelligence official, Wissam al-Hassan on Sunday.At least three people were killed as Sunni and Shia gunmen exchanged fire on Sunday night.On Monday, clashes between Lebanese troops and unidentified armed men took place in the Sunni district of Beirut, the capital, according to the AFP news agency.Soldiers responded after they came under fire as they tried to re-open a road to Tariq Jdideh, a Sunni Muslim district that neighbours Shia Muslim suburbs in the south of the capital, Beirut.Al Jazeera’s Nisreen El Shamaylah reporting from Beirut said the army was deployed in the area following the clashes, vowing to restore order.The army warned that targeting public or private institutions crossed a “red line”, and it would respond.“The last few hours have proven without a doubt that the country is going through a decisive and critical time and the level of tension in some regions is rising to unprecedented levels,” a statement issued by the army leadership said on Monday.“We call on all political leaders to be cautious when expressing their stances and opinions... because the fate of the country is on the line”, the strongly worded statement said. While pledging to leave politicians to find a political solution to the crisis triggered by Friday’s assassination of Brigadier General Wissam al-Hassan, the army also pledged “to stamp out any security violation and safeguard national peace”.“The army leadership reiterates, by action not words, that security is a red line, and likewise the targeting of official institutions and violation of private and public property,” it said.
