Video: Gunfire on the streets as Syria conflict spreads to Lebanon They called on the Lebanese army to intervene. The ministers and officials are at fault; they told the soldiers to come. We are with the soldiers, but where are they? Do we have to wait for them to attack us and take our children away? You should have seen the tragedy our children saw," one Tripoli resident said. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has told the head of the army to "take necessary measures to halt these events" in the city. Rival districts often clash in Tripoli, but tensions have heightened sharply since the outbreak of unrest in Syria. The coastal city is dominated by Sunni Muslims who support the 11-month uprising against Assad in neighbouring Syria, but is also home to members of Assad's Alawite minority. Friday's violence came after hundreds of people demonstrated in Tripoli against President Assad following weekly Muslim prayers.