Aoun Urges 'Punishment' of 'Known' Tripoli Rioters

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.

“Instructions have been given to security forces to preserve security in the capital of the North and prevent attacks on public and private property,” the president added.

A tense calm prevailed in Tripoli on Friday after rioters set fire to several government buildings, capping days of violent clashes as anger over growing poverty made worse by the coronavirus lockdown boiled over.

The authorities deployed more troops in the country's second-largest city in an effort to quell the rioting, which has led to repeated confrontations with security forces in which one person was killed and more than 250 others were injured.

Lebanese leaders have condemned the violence and demanded an investigation while accusing each other of exploiting the residents' poverty and frustration to score political points. In a worrying sign, some politicians have attacked the military, accusing it of doing nothing to stop the vandalism.