Army chief General Jean Qahwaji on Wednesday reassured “there will be no bargaining at the expense of the blood of the martyrs” who fell in the northern regions of Tripoli and Minieh, stressing that the fugitive gunmen will be arrested “no matter how long it takes.”

“The martyrs and the injured soldiers' blood will not go in vain," said Qahwaji during a visit to the Aley district, where he offered condolences to the families of slain officers Jihad al-Habr and Firas al-Hakim, who were killed in the latest clashes in the North.

The March 14 forces on Wednesday called on Hizbullah to put an end to “the duality of two armies and two decisions in one country,” noting that attempts to “label the Lebanese as supporters and critics of the army” were refuted by the latest Tripoli battle.

“The national solidarity with the army, especially by the residents of Tripoli, Dinniyeh, Minieh and Akkar, has proved once again how much these regions are committed to Lebanon as an irreversible choice,” the March 14 General Secretariat said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The Lebanese army carried out large-scale raids early on Wednesday in the northern coastal city of Tripoli and the region of Koura in search of suspects, as several armed men turned themselves in.

The army expanded its raids in the evening and arrested several suspects, including one accused of belonging to the group of Imad Jomaa, whose arrest on August 2 sparked deadly clashes with jihadist gunmen in the northeastern border town of Arsal.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday stressed that Tripoli will never be "a safe haven for terrorism and extremism," as it condemned alleged attempts to “demonize” the residents of the northern city and depict them as proponents of an extremist “Islamic emirate.”

In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc lauded “the national stance of the residents of the city of Tripoli and the North, who showed their decisive commitment to the choice of the state and their support for the government and army.”

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh stressed on Tuesday that national unity is the most important fortification against terrorism that is threatening Lebanon and the region.

He said that “Lebanon is in need of the positions of its leaders,” while hailing the stance of Mustaqbal Movement leader MP Saad Hariri on terrorism.

The army on Tuesday reinforced its deployment in the northern city of Tripoli in the wake of the fierce weekend clashes with Islamist gunmen, as raids to arrest fugitives continued in the nearby region of Akkar.

Army units "are continuing their deployment in the areas of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the old souks in the city of Tripoli,” the Army Command said in a statement.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun noted on Tuesday that differences are a normal part of political life, stressing that he seeks national unity among Lebanese factions.

He said: “The differences are normal part of politics, which should be practiced calmly during this phase.”

Speaker Nabih Berri hailed the Lebanese army for "eradicating" terrorist groups in the northern city of Tripoli and nearby areas without making any compromises.

“The Lebanese army is one of the strongest militaries in the region but lacks arms and ammunition,” Berri told As Safir daily in remarks published on Tuesday.

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri condemned on Tuesday calls to defect from the Lebanese army and the incitement of Sunnis to join terrorist groups, and reiterated that the nation would enjoy security only if Hizbullah withdrew from Syria.

“All calls to defect from the army and incite Sunni men in particular to … join armed organizations in Lebanon and abroad are condemned and rejected,” Hariri said in a lengthy statement issued by his press office.

A dangerous militant recently arrested by the army has confessed that he had been plotting to establish an “Islamic emirate” straddling four towns in the northern district of Dinniyeh as part of a broader scheme to connect Syria's Qalamun to the Lebanese coast.

Ahmed Miqati, aka Abu al-Hoda and Abu Bakr, told interrogators that he was making plans to “occupy the towns of Bakhoun, Asoun, Sir al-Dinniyeh and Bqaa Safrine, given that security there is loose,” state-run National News Agency reported.