Lebanese army seeks to quell unrest Lebanon's army has vowed to take "decisive measures" and warned that the fate of the country is hanging in the balance after the funeral of an assassinated intelligence chief on Sunday triggered deadly clashes. "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. The army said it would take "decisive measures" in areas of rising tension and also called on Lebanon's politicians to exercise restraint in their public statements. It issued the warning after troops and gunmen exchanged fire in Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday morning, wounding five people, while protesters blocked roads with burning tyres, according to Reuters. In the northern city of Tripoli, four people were killed, including a nine-year-old girl, and 12 were wounded in clashes overnight and in the morning, the news agency quoted security and medical sources as saying. The killing of intelligence chief Wissam Hassan in a powerful car bomb on Friday has plunged Lebanon into some of the worst instability it has seen since the uprising in neighbouring Syria began 19 months ago. Hassan's assassination is widely seen as being related to his recent role in investigating an ally of the Syrian regime accused of plotting terrorist attacks. His death has intensified already deep divisions between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime in Lebanon. These tend to overlay sectarian faultlines, with many Sunnis feeling sympathy with the Syrian opposition, while the powerful Shia group Hizbollah is allied to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. It has also prompted fears that contagion from the 19-month Syrian uprising in neighbouring countries will intensify. The opposition coalition, in which the most powerful party is the predominantly Sunni Future Movement, called for Prime Minister Najib Mikati to resign after Mr Hassan's assassination. Mr Mikati is also a Sunni, but was nominated as prime minister by Hizbollah and its allies. Thousands followed opposition parties" call to rally at Mr Hassan's funeral on Sunday, and security forces later fired tear gas and warning shots to push back a group of protesters who broke through a barrier in front of the prime minister's residence. In spite of Future Movement leader Saad Hariri's appeal for calm, there were overnight clashes in the Tarik Jadideh area of Beirut in which six people were reported to have been wounded. Tarik Jadideh is a Sunni Muslim district that neighbours Shia Muslim suburbs in the south of the capital. Troops in full combat gear and armoured personnel carriers guarded traffic intersections in Beirut and government offices on Monday, with barbed wire and concrete blocks protecting buildings. Beirut was noticeably quieter than usual as people stayed at home because they feared more violence. In downtown, many normally busy cafes and coffee shops were empty or shut and the area was free of the habitual traffic chaos.