BEIRUT, May 13: A precarious calm returned to Lebanon on Tuesday after the army warned it was ready to use force to restore order after six days of bloodshed that have shaken the nation.

The fighting, which has left at least 62 people dead and close to 200 wounded, is the worst unrest since the 1975-1990 civil war and has stoked fears the country was headed for another all-out conflict.

After being ordered not to intervene to protect its neutrality in deeply divided Lebanon, the army said it was prepared to resort to force to disarm gunmen and bring an end to the violence between supporters of the Western-backed government and Hezbollah-led opposition fighters.—AFP