Clashes Renew in Tripoli with Miqati's Resignation after Fragile Truce
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Armed clashes renewed on Friday evening on all frontiers in Tripoli, ending a fragile four-hour ceasefire, as supporters of Prime Minister Najib Miqati gathered on the streets and blocked several roads in the wake of his resignation.
Rocket-propelled grenades were fired amid heavy gunfire and sniper activity, state-run National News Agency reported.
"Supporters of PM Najib Miqati gathered at the Abdul Hamid Karami Square in Tripoli and blocked all roads leading to the roundabout, in solidarity with the PM after he submitted his resignation," NNA said.
"Army troops fired back heavily at the sources of gunfire in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, amid sporadic shelling with RPGs," the agency added.
The death toll from three days of fighting in Tripoli rose to six on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, Arab Democratic Party media officer Abdul Latif Saleh told LBCI television that the party had informed the army that it will declare a unilateral ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the gathering of Islamic powers in al-Qobbeh and Bab al-Tabbaneh held a press conference to stress that the clashes in the city are not taking place between Sunnis and Alwawites.
“These sects are the sons of a the same region. The clashes are taking place with an oppressive power that usurped the decision-making power of the Alawite sect in Tripoli,” they added.
The gatherers demanded that the security forces be allowed to perform their duties in Tripoli “in order for all sides to feel that the military institution is standing at an equal distance from all sides.”
They called for a ceasefire, adding: “We did not start the violence and we did not call for it.”
A Lebanese soldier was among the dead in the three-day clashes.
The Lebanese “army continued to take security measures in the tense neighborhoods of the city of Tripoli, mainly in Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, including raids in areas where the gunmen are located,” a communique issued by the military command said.
Troops arrested several suspects and seized arms and ammunition from them, it said.
It added however that one soldier was killed and several others were injured during their mission.
Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) identified the dead soldier as Hassan Diab.
The army said late Thursday that the gunmen used light and medium weapons in addition to hand grenades.
It warned armed men that it would deal firmly with all sources of gunfire and urged citizens to abide by the security measures taken by the army to preserve their safety.
The Tripoli gunfight erupted on Wednesday when a soldier was wounded along with his brother after gunmen entered the state hospital in the area of al-Qobbeh and opened fire at him.
On Friday, the army said it responded to the sources of fire “in the appropriate way” and carried out patrols in the areas that separate the rival neighborhoods of Tripoli.
Armored personnel carriers also blocked for several hours the seven roads that lead to Abdul Hamid Karami square, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Tripoli has been witnessing deadly clashes between supporters and opponents of the Damascus regime for several years now.
The majority of Bab al-Tabbaneh residents are Sunni and back the revolution against Syrian President Bashar Assad while Jabal Mohsen's residents are mainly Alawites from Assad's sect.
22 March 2013, 13:00
45
LAk screw these bastards , jihadist or wahibist no matter which sect they are from , just hang them , even if you have to wipe the whole two suburbs . Mr . General sir , just wipe them out , don't take any orders from our faceless , gutless govt , just do your duty . Kill these fanatics ...
22 March 2013, 13:01
22
It is time to go after the arms traders ...
Charbel ~
“Some traders sold arms to the Lebanese and most parties are armed.”
There is no point disarming the militias when they can re-arm at will. Charbel must go after the arms traders: first to dry up supplies and second to make sure disarmament works. Stop the weapons at the source.
Charbel must detain and arrest arms traders to stop this proliferation. The army can not keep up with the arms traders. The army and the people of Tripoli can only continue to have wounded and deaths without stopping the traders.
22 March 2013, 13:03
23
One more thing:
Any arms trader that sells grenades, RPGs, rockets, mortars-rounds or explosives into the civilian population deserves a special place in Hell.
These traders that sell this indiscriminate ordinance should have mandatory prison sentences and their assets confiscated.... period.
22 March 2013, 13:09
83
Tripoli has nothing to do with HA. The Tripoli problem is primarily due to Salafists that are constantly harassing and shooting at the Allawite population there ...
Charbel needs to go after the arms dealers that are supplying both sides so that a disarmament can commence. There is no way the army can disarm militia faster than the arms dealers can arm them.
22 March 2013, 13:19
24
Wake up lebanese... united we stand divided we fall.... I say let the military run the govt for 2 year period to restore security and to write up a fair constitution thats away from the sectarian system thats in place today. Its a failure...maybe a fedral state... our leaders have blood on their hands they dont know the meaning of working together. They only like to line their pockets with our taxes.. wake up wake up wake up.. I hate all lebanese politicians.. the most inept people to ever face this planet. .
22 March 2013, 13:19
83
let me tell you that you are wrong.. no one wants weapons outside the government command, but the HA weapons never fought and killed army soldiers on purpose. they never confronted the Lebanese army. they fought isreal and gave our country respect. if HA know that by handing their weapons will benefit the country, they would have done it
22 March 2013, 22:59
01
according to hassan nasrallah, the operation in 2006 was made for samir kentar. They tried to take advantage of the fact that israel was busy bombing the gaza strip and thought it would be a quick prisoner swap, they hadnt expected that israel would react the way it did.
22 March 2013, 13:25
13
It is statements like that kill and injure so many innocent people and army personnel as well ...
22 March 2013, 13:32
35
he don't care, all he cares is that his islamist friends prevail, no mather what happens to others
That's the hate that supposed moslem sunni clerics spew on these youn man
22 March 2013, 13:30
33
If you say you are a peacelover, you should have been fair and said the same thing to S. Arabia,Qatar, and other Arab countries who have sent weapons, money and soldiers to kill fellow Arabs in Syria
22 March 2013, 13:32
04
Flames thrower hizbollah isnt all innocent in all this. Pls Keep it that mind.. you have selective hearing and memory... I despise all lebanese political parties... u must be unbiased of your criticism..thugs exist in all regions of lebanon... thats not defined by religion but social economic status.. its unfortunate but true. .. also why flame thrower as ur name. .. I have read ur posts for one year.. its full of hate and blame..maybe believe your burning people with your flames, it only makes u seem obstinate...pls be sensitive to people freedom of belief.. each relgions has extreme elements..
23 March 2013, 02:35
00
F.T...... I appreciate the fact that you can not blame EVERYTHING on hezb (Lebanon had plenty of issues before Hezb and I am sure will have many more after.). I also appreciate that you wanted a meaningful debate so I decided to jump on the offer. Could you tell me few things you can blame the Hezb for? Whar responsibility does the Hezb hold resulting in the miserable state of Lebanon (they are the strongest party and as such they must bear the largest responsibility in my opinion). I never heard you blaming them for anything, so I am curious.
22 March 2013, 13:33
23
can you for once stop talking about asad and Syria and arabs.. discuss Lebanon... Lebanon is our country.. we are going through the same problem our ancestors had in the past ( some wanted to join the arab world and some wanted the west) we are falling in the same trap over and over again.. just like idiots. and we think we are smart.. we are a poor nation
22 March 2013, 22:55
20
Wrong. Lebanon was already part of the arab world since arabic became the official language. Nobody wanted to be part of the west but after the colonialism, some wanted to be slaves of the west and pretend to be european by dying their hair fake blond, using creams whitening their skins, using coloured lenses, mixing arabic with french. They tried so hard because they knew it didnt come natural to them. Have you seen pictures of lebanese 100 years ago? They wore the same outfits as arabs, including the maronites.
22 March 2013, 14:51
03
I hate extremists of ANY KIND OF Human dont care what sect he belongs too. IF my neighbour wants to worship something I dont like or dont agree with that's none of my business. Keep to myself and do right by all that surrounds me. I am a sunni moderate and my next door neighbour is a sunni salafi. and just across is a christian lebanese. And to each their own . NO war of words,arms or anything in between us. Thats how it should be.
22 March 2013, 14:53
02
I forgot to mention LONG LIVE MUSIC ::: hope your all smiling. I am lol
22 March 2013, 14:53
00
Islam (Sunni and Shia) is in dire need for a charismatic religious leader to lead it into a reformation movement, in Christendom Martin Luther opened the door for philosophizers, scholars and scientists got start the ball rolling on the concept of separation of church and state although it too a while longer for it to become enshrined in laws and in culture.
22 March 2013, 15:25
10
Hey M 666 , thanks for sharing you thoughts , it takes guys I applaud you . Now continue with your drug addiction classes it will do you good ....
22 March 2013, 16:17
21
Shame on our people who take sides with foreign countries against their own people. What a travesty! As Lebanese, we have always been much more sophisticated than our primitive Jordanian and Syrian neighbors and now we are joining them. How sad!
22 March 2013, 22:44
10
lol scorpyonn. Lebanese have never been more sophisticated than neighbors. It's all in your head. Lebanese have been more arrogant than others sure, but that has to do with the french colonialists brainwashing maronites in to thinking they are phoenician and not arab and thus an imaginary cool history was created in the mindset of maronites who spread that mindset on to the muslims, druze, orthodox, shiites and other sects in lebanon. The morons didnt even know that the phoenicians were a barbaric people (just like the ancient arabs that they were related to). Sophisticated 2al lol. Had lebanese been more sophisticated, naharnet wouldnt have been a warzone, neither would youtube video comments were lebanese post, nor other forums. Lebanese are a joke who need to step down from the high horse.
22 March 2013, 16:18
32
Shame on our people who take sides with foreign countries against their own people. What a travesty! As Lebanese, we have always been much more sophisticated than our primitive Jordanian and Syrian neighbors and now we are joining them. How sad!
22 March 2013, 20:32
13
But peacelover.....as we have been hearing repeatedly from HA worshipers.....who will protect us from Israel? LMAO!
22 March 2013, 20:34
02
Shatt up diaperboy. Go to you play pen and play with your toys. This is not a place for kids. Too bad they only broke a foot...should have broken all your fingers so we don;t have to read your constant juvenile BS!
22 March 2013, 22:52
11
eltigar, if you have a desire to hate and murder then dont try to portray it as if your only trying to give a gift to others. And who is "our"? You mean nawar troblos who have the IQ of 50? Tripoli and Akkar produce some of the worst humans on earth. And this isent coming from a aouni or a hezbi. People have all these sterotypes of people from tripoli and you proove such stereoptypes correct based on your comments.
23 March 2013, 01:31
11
that's sorta the chaos you would expect when one sect has hegemony over illegal arms...
