Tension, Sniper Fire in Tripoli after Gunmen Shoot Four Jabal Mohsen Residents

Sporadic sniper gunshots returned to Tripoli on Wednesday evening and tensions surged after gunmen shot and wounded four Jabal Mohsen residents in the city despite an army security plan that had managed to end seven days of clashes on Monday.

“Mohammed Abdul Razzaq Abdullah, Nasser Mahfouz and Bilal Ali Mohsen were shot and wounded in the legs at the al-Mallouleh roundabout as they were returning from their workplaces,” state-run National News Agency said. LBCI television said the three were on their way back from Beirut.

“They were rushed to hospital for treatment and the relevant authorities have launched a probe into the incident,” NNA added.

A fourth Jabal Mohsen resident was shot and wounded in al-Zahriyeh area later on Wednesday, Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) reported, identifying the man as Ali Hamad.

“The army closed al-Shamal road that leads to Jabal Mohsen after some residents tried to attack some passing cars in retaliation to the attack on the three young men and tensions are high in the area,” the radio station reported.

For its part, Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said “sporadic sniper gunfire has returned to Tripoli's Syria Street,” which separates the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. It later said that a hand grenade exploded on Syria Street.

And according to VDL (100.5), the army intensified its patrols after sniper gunshots targeted Syria Street and al-Hamwi Street.

On Sunday, the army deployed in Jabal Mohsen as part of a security plan to put an end to seven days of deadly clashes in the northern city. Three soldiers were wounded on Monday as army troops deployed in Bab al-Tabbaneh.

At least 14 people were killed and more than 80 wounded in a week of clashes between the two rival neighborhoods. The fighting broke out on October 21 as celebratory gunfire erupted in Jabal Mohsen over Syrian President Bashar Assad’s appearance on al-Mayadeen television for an interview.

The neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen have been for years witnessing deadly gunbattles, but skirmishes began to flare with increasing intensity after the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.