Syrian Ambassador Says Battles in Tripoli Linked to Syria

Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali said on Wednesday that the ongoing battles in the northern city of Tripoli reflect the developments in Tripoli, pointing out that the final result will be in favor of Lebanon, Syria and the whole region.

“All those who strategically read the developments in the region said that the countries are integrated and the attack on Syria will have an impact,” Ali told reporters after talks with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at his residence in Rabieh.

The violence in Tripoli is tied to the conflict in Syria, where a Sunni-led uprising is fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad, an Alawite.

The fighting in Tripoli, which has flared sporadically since the beginning of the Syria conflict in March 2011, has largely been confined to Jabal Mohsen and Bab el-Tabbaneh.

But the repercussions of the Syria conflict have also been felt elsewhere in its neighbor Lebanon.

Ali expressed hope that the two countries would cooperate to end sedition.

The diplomat said that Aoun expected that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad would triumph the conspiracy.

The latest confrontations come after a brief lull in the violence between the two sides, following a flare-up last month that left 31 people dead and more than 200 hurt.