Army Completes Deployment in Bab al-Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen as ISF Vows Zero Tolerance
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The army on Sunday announced that it has completed its deployment in Tripoli’s Syria Street and all neighborhoods in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, as the Internal Security Forces stressed they “will not be tolerant with anyone anymore,” after 15 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in fierce street clashes.
Army units “deployed in all the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in addition to Syria Street, contrary to what some media outlets reported, while other units belonging to the ISF will deploy later in these areas,” said a statement issued by the Army Command in the afternoon.
“Stability has been restored in the aforementioned neighborhoods as army units continue to reinforce their security measures, including the pursuing of gunmen and the identification of any gunfire source, in order to take the appropriate measures immediately,” the statement added.
For his part, Brig. Gen. Bassam al-Ayyoubi, commander of Tripoli’s ISF department, said “total calm has been restored in all hotspots and gunmen have left the streets in the two areas and I stress that we will shoot back at any gunfire, wherever it may come from, because the country cannot bear further security incidents.”
In a press conference he held in Tripoli, Ayyoubi noted that “the political cover has been lifted off all security violators,” adding that security forces will preserve security and “will not be tolerant with anyone.”
Ayyoubi also called on television reporters to cover the events transparently and not to interview anyone promoting violence.
And as he denied as “inaccurate and baseless” claims that members of the rebel Free Syrian Army took part in the Tripoli clashes, Ayyoubi stressed that security forces will pursue “any security violators and those funding them and inciting them to violence.”
But the general did not rule out the presence of a “fifth column that is inflaming the situations” in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.
The fragile peace that was restored Sunday morning was violated by occasional sounds of gunshots and the return of sniper attacks, reported LBC television.
It said cautious calm engulfed the northern coastal city with the deployment of the army and the ISF according to a security plan that was devised late on Saturday.
LBC added that gunshots were fired heavily during a funeral procession for one of the victims of the clashes that broke out Friday.
No gunmen were witnessed on Syria Street, but they have been replaced with the army and security forces, it continued.
MTV had reported earlier during the day that the cautious and tense calm in the city was being interrupted by intermittent gunfire.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati had called for a security meeting at his Tripoli residence on Saturday night in order to devise a plan to end the unrest.
An agreement was reached to lift political cover off those creating the unrest.
The conferees also agreed to allow the army and ISF to take all necessary measures to reach an immediate ceasefire.
The rival Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen have been gripped by frequent fighting, reflecting a split between Lebanon's parties where the March 14-led opposition backs the revolt in Syria while a ruling coalition led by Hizbullah supports the Damascus regime.
03 June 2012, 08:36
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This is so funny!First of all the politicians decide to pull off the gangsters from the street; then the army deploys...Such a joke!
03 June 2012, 09:18
21
I recommend u read, The Brookings Institute Report from 2009, "Which Path to Persia, as well as 2007 New Yorker article titled, "The Redirection: Is the Administration's new policy benefiting our enemies in the war on terrorism?" Written by renowned journalist Seymour Hersh, it covers everything from admissions that the US, Saudis, and Israelis are working together, despite the Saudis and their Sunni proxies' attempts to portray themselves as "anti-Israeli," to admissions that the US is funding a region-wide network of militants and terrorists, many of whom have literally trained at Al Qaeda camps. The article also describes in great detail the role of the Hariri faction in Lebanon, working closely with the Saudis and Americans, and their role in creating a safe haven for terrorist organizations on Lebanese soil, now involved fully in destabilizing neighboring Syria.
03 June 2012, 13:42
01
evrybody knows this chapter it's not knew, and it's true, to give u more credibity go to chapter II about alawi farsi russian..the same story...put all the equation,wahaby and farsi are the same devil for lebanon and the region
03 June 2012, 16:29
12
Hey Bebe, what is going on between jabal el klab and tebanne has been going on long before Hariri came around. Quit blaming all on USA and KSA. What is going on is obvious, your master in syria is in big poo poo, so he needs to stir up his puppets in jabel el klab so he could go on butchering his own people.Tfeh to any human who stands with this regime.
03 June 2012, 16:55
02
So easy to blame others ya haphoup! So easy :) If what you are saying is true this is so sad... We are not able to manage our own country and people go on blaming the army... lek akh mnestehal what is happening to us!
03 June 2012, 20:11
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FT : the allawites in tripoli were imported by hafez el assad to settle there and use them when he needs them... it still goes on...
03 June 2012, 13:58
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STUPID Bab el Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. killing each others for syria. LACHOU?. Syrians watched our country being raped by their army and intelligence for 20 yrs without doing a thing. I wish them to solve their problems and stop their civil war. But these are THEIR problems. not ours. OUR PROBLEM IS TO START DRILLING FOR GAS before Israel empties our adjoining gas fields, STUPID MILICIAS.
03 June 2012, 15:10
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Lebanese Bebe or baby you should read about Iran & syra and the Ba'athist who believe in greater syria
03 June 2012, 18:32
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FT,
if the army does what it should have done years ago, take over the weapons in jabal mohsen, then god be with the army.
otherwise the army woll be the one pushing for civil war.
03 June 2012, 19:29
01
Of course the LAF restored order. The LAF and ISF have the ability to handle any security problem faced by Lebanon, whether domestic or foreign. What is necessary is the political decision and that is in the hand of Hezbollah.
Nasrallah has misstepped and almost set off sectarian warfare in Lebanon, against orders from Tehran. It is not in Hezbollah's interest to get itself involved in a Sunni-Alawi/Shia sectarian conflict in Tripoli. It weakens Mikati, weakens the government and the State at a time when Hezbollah is about to be set adrift and it needs the Lebanese state as its lifeboat. The LAF went to Tripoli not because of Mikati's decision, but because of Khomenie's decision. Let us not fool ourselves.
03 June 2012, 19:32
10
This proves that there are limits on Hezbollah's ability to come to the aid of Assad as Assad goes down. The limit is that Nasrallah could take Lebanon to hell with the Assad Regime and this does not serve Iran's national interest, so this is the red line.
However, no Lebanese should rest easy with the political decision in Lebanon resting in Persian hands. When Iranian national interests call for Lebanon to burn, then it will burn and Nasrallah will set the match.
Lebanon must take the political decision-making back into its own hands so that we can live as a sovereign state by right, not by the permission of foreigners.
03 June 2012, 20:17
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Why did your army wait this long to deploy? They should have been there from the first hours... This inaction demonstrates that the current governement is reactive, not proactive. I wouldn't be surprised if they are secretely hoping that things will worsen so Lebanon's crisis can be tied to Syria's fate (and its regime) making it harder to topple to dictatorship in Damascus.
03 June 2012, 21:36
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Deploying the army in the midst of armed gangs is not a final solution. It will work as temporary deterrent, but the real solution is disarming both sides and then do the same throughout Lebanon. Otherwise the soldiers are just sitting ducks to be hunted at will when called for.
