Tripoli on Edge as Tension Mounts between Rival Neighborhoods

Calm prevailed on Tuesday in the northern city of Tripoli despite the rising tension between the rival neighborhoods of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.

According to the state-run National News Agency, the army is deployed between the two neighborhoods, carrying out raids to detain violators and erecting checkpoints.

Buses that carry students from Jabal Mohsen to neighboring areas held a sit-in earlier in the morning to denounce the continuous attacks against the residents of the neighborhood.

The news agency pointed out that several buses refused to transfer students as a large number of them didn't head to their schools as fears mount that the security situation in the rival neighborhoods might deteriorate.

At least six residents from Jabal Mohsen were wounded on Saturday when a mini-bus carrying eight passengers came under attack by masked gunmen in the neighborhood of al-Tabbaneh near Dar al-Salam school.

The assailants took the passengers at gunpoint to local streets in the area and shot six of them in their feet.

Tripoli is the scene of frequent Syria-linked battles pitting Sunnis from Bab al-Tebbaneh against Alawites in neighboring Jabal Mohsen.

Most Sunnis support Syria's revolt against President Bashar Assad, while Alawites, who belong to the same sect as Assad, back his regime.

The latest fighting ended when the army deployed along Syria Street, which separates the two districts and acts as the makeshift frontline.