French President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday that he will “do everything” to push for the formation of a new government in Lebanon.

“We’ll do everything for the formation of a government in Lebanon, even if it doesn’t meet all specifications,” Macron said in remarks to Al-Arabiya television.

The army on Friday announced the arrest of five people suspected of involvement in the overnight torching of Tripoli’s municipal building.

In a statement, the army said three suspects -- two Lebanese and a Syrian -- were present inside the building when they were detained.

Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi on Friday held a meeting with the country’s army chief and heads of security agencies in the wake of several days of violent protests in the northern city of Tripoli.

The conferees discussed “the security developments in all Lebanese regions, especially in the city of Tripoli,” the National News Agency said.

President Michel Aoun on Friday stressed “the need to punish those who carried out acts of rioting” in the northern city of Tripoli.

“They are known by security agencies and their political affiliations are known,” Aoun said during a meeting with a World Bank delegation.

European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf on Friday commented on the unrest that has rocked the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

“The EU recalls the right of people to protest peacefully. Violence and vandalism are not covered by this basic right,” Tarraf tweeted.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday described this week’s wave of violent protests in Tripoli as “dangerous” and “suspicious.”

“Those in charge of things -- especially those in the caretaker cabinet and those concerned with forming a rescue and mission government, as well as those obstructing its formation -- must quickly act to douse the political, security, social, developmental and health blazes,” Berri said.

PM-designate Saad Hariri’s press office on Friday described President Michel Aoun’s remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper as "an unsuccessful and rejected attempt to turn the political dispute into an Islamic-Christian one."

Below is the full text of an English-language statement released by Hariri’s press office:

President Michel Aoun met on Friday with caretaker Defense Minister Zeina Akar where discussions highlighted the security situation mainly in the northern city of Tripoli after four nights of clashes between security forces and protesters, the Presidency said on Twitter.

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Friday condemned the overnight clashes in the northern city of Tripoli and assured that “criminals will be brought to justice.”

The Progressive Socialist Party deplored in a statement the latest incidents in the impoverished northern city of Tripoli, urging authorities to expedite a government formation in order to face these “serious challenges.”