Lebanon's political leaders struggle to control political crisis after deadly car bomb Lebanese politicians have accused Syrian President Bashar-al Assad of being behind the attack, deepening fears that Syria's sectarian-tinged civil war is spreading to its neighbour. Squads of armed men yesterday gathered in the northern, mostly-Sunni city of Tripoli, where pro- and anti-Assad factions have clashed repeatedly this year. Lebanese soldiers opened fire on a group who took over a road in the Bekaa Valley, wounding two people, witnesses said. Rallies were also held the southern town of Sidon. In Beirut, troops reinforced road junctions and official buildings, whilst demonstrators blocked off two main arteries to the capital. In the Sunni Muslim areas, where most people are opposed to Mr Assad's Alawite-dominated regime, cars mounted with loudspeakers cruised the streets issuing calls for the government to resign, and protesters blocked roads with barricades of burning tyres. Mr Mikati's resignation would have left a dangerous political vacuum which at the time of political instability many feared could set the country on a downward spiral into war. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, telephoned Mr Mikati from London to offer his condolences for the bombing and also encouraged him to stay on in his position, a senior British diplomatic source told The Sunday Telegraph. The UK stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon and the state of Lebanon. It is time for Lebanon's leaders to unite," said Britain's ambassador to the country, Tom Fletcher. At an emergency meeting called by the president yesterday, members of the country's security cabinet discussed the possibility of asking the same UN tribunal that investigated the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri to take on the inquiry into General Hassan's killing. General Hassan was a key figurehead in Lebanon's Sunni community, famously uncovering evidence that implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the Hariri killing. General Hassan's funeral will take place in Beirut today.