Shaar Calls for Arrest of 'Criminals' in Tripoli

The Mufti of Tripoli and the north, Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, stressed on Saturday that the situation in Tripoli is not sectarian but rather is based on a side's allegiance to a foreigner country.

“We reject to slip into any sectarian strife,” Shaar said during a meeting for the Higher Islamic Council at the Dar al-Fatwa in the northern city of Tripoli.

He called on the security forces to end the battles between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.

Al-Shaar also demanded the arrest of “the criminals,” praising the efforts undertaken by the Lebanese judiciary to unveil the violators.

The death toll from five days of clashes in Tripoli between supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime has climbed to at least six.

The latest casualty was a 22-year-old mother of two, who died from gunshot wounds she suffered on Thursday, a security official said, adding that another 49 people have been wounded.

Sunni and Alawite gunmen have been fighting in the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen districts of Tripoli since Monday and were still exchanging gunfire on Friday afternoon.

The Lebanese army meanwhile set up barricades to separate them.

The fighting broke out Monday while an interview with Syrian President Bashar Assad was being aired on television.

Residents of Bab al-Tabbaneh support the anti-Assad revolt, while those in Jabal Mohsen back Assad, and both sides have fought frequently since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011.

The latest fighting has prompted residents to flee the impoverished neighborhoods while schools and universities have been closed in Tripoli since mid-week.

Lebanon is deeply divided into pro- and anti-Damascus camps.

The division has widened since Hizbullah admitted in May it was sending fighters into Syria to support Assad's troops.

Small radical Sunni organizations have also sent men across the border to fight alongside the rebels.

Lebanon was dominated politically and militarily by Damascus for 30 years until 2005.