The Change and Reform bloc defended on Tuesday Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi’s request to lift immunity off MP Moeen al-Merehbi, saying that he had acted according to the law.

MP Alain Aoun said after the bloc’s weekly meeting: “The campaign against the minister is politically-motivated and it should stop.”

The Phalange Party noted on Monday that the recent instability in Lebanon has made the state “appear like the weak and losing authority” in the country.

It said in a statement after its weekly politburo meeting: “The government must tackle the catastrophic repercussions the recent developments have had on the authority and image of the state.”

Prime Minister Najib Miqati said Monday the Lebanese army was taking all measures to restore calm in the northern city of Tripoli which witnessed bloody clashes between rival groups in the past week.

In remarks to An Nahar newspaper, Miqati said Tripoli is heading to stability despite the limited violations taking place.

The army on Sunday arrested 18 gunmen and confiscated quantities of weapons and ammunition in the unrest-hit northern city of Tripoli.

Al-Jadeed television said the army arrested 10 gunmen from al-Mouri family and seized two truckloads of weapons and ammunition from a center belonging to the family in al-Zahriyeh neighborhood.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi condemned on Sunday the various security incidents that had taken place in Lebanon in recent weeks, saying that the situation has reached an unacceptable level.

He said during his Sunday sermon: “We cannot accept the security chaos and the return of militia practices.”

One man was killed and six others wounded in the northern city of Tripoli on Sunday, as fresh clashes broke out between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, a security official said.

Three of the wounded were Lebanese soldiers who are deployed in the port city to quell tensions after fierce street battles first erupted last Monday, raising concerns that Syria-linked violence could destabilize the country.

The northern city of Tripoli enjoyed a cautious calm on Saturday morning after intermittent sniper fire that continued to terrify residents of the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen and nearby areas left one person dead at dawn.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said one person was killed overnight from sniper fire that had a lower intensity than the past days.

Al-Mustaqbal movement rejects violence and gives its political backing to the army to thwart any attempt to create instability, al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader Fouad Saniora told personalities in the northern city of Tripoli.

Saniora, who returned from a vacation abroad, held a series of phone conversations with Premier Najib Miqati, Tripoli lawmakers and Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, his sources told An Nahar on Saturday.

Russia on Friday voiced its rejection of any interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, in the wake of the deadly clashes that erupted in the northern city of Tripoli.

“Moscow is very concerned over the situation in Tripoli … and urges all parties to halt violence and respect the ceasefire reached on Wednesday with the support of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state RIA Novosti news agency.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim acknowledged on Friday that the developments in Syria are affecting Lebanon and the formation of various armed groups in Lebanon is the result of the crisis in the neighboring country.

He said: “Lebanon however will not be dragged into a civil war.”