BEIRUT , Lebanon, June 21 (UPI) -- Lebanese officials arrested two suspects accused of distributing threatening leaflets in Christian areas as top leaders issue pleas for calm.

Leaflets were distributed in the coastal city of Sidon during the weekend warning Christian residents to flee.

The leaflets included Islamic slogans and warned Christians in the area to "spare their lives by evacuating the area within one week" or "bear the consequences," Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reports.

Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanese parliament, said the leaflets would do little to destroy the unity enjoyed by the Lebanese people.

"Residents of Sidon and eastern Sidon will prove that national unity and coexistence will not be affected by a statement that was written in the darkness of night," the speaker said.

Clashes between rival Lebanese forces in the 1980s forced many Christian residents in the region to flee their homes.

The Daily Star said Lebanese intelligence officials captured two suspects linked to the leaflets.