Intermittent Gunfire Heard in Tripoli as Gunmen Erect Checkpoints

Sporadic gunfire was heard on Saturday in the northern city of Tripoli as gunmen erected checkpoints and began inspecting the ids of passersby, a day after two deadly blasts that targeted the city.

The calm in the city was violated by intermittent gunfire, in particular, in Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood and the area surrounding it, the state-run National news agency reported.

On Friday, powerful car bombs exploded outside two Sunni mosques in Tripoli, killing at least 45 people and wounding hundreds.

The first bomb struck in the city center at the al-Salam mosque as worshipers were still inside.

The second explosion struck just minutes later outside al-Taqwa mosque, about two kilometers away, near the port.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported that fire erupted in a car on Friday over night in the city near al-Mallouleh bridge after unknown assailants opened fire at it.

Several media outlets also reported that gunmen established checkpoints across the city and began inspecting ids of passersby and vehicles.

Al-Jadeed channel reported that the Lebanese army cordoned off Abou Ali roundabout in Tripoli after information obtained on a suspicious car.

Meanwhile, the residents of the neighborhoods surrounding al-Salam and al-Taqwa mosques and civil defense teams began removing the mess caused by the blasts amid heavy army and security forces deployment.

Some residents used shovels and brooms to clean up shards of glass and shrapnel that littered the pavement in front of nearby shops.

A team of forensic experts was sorting through the mangled wreckage at the blast sites.

Tripoli has seen frequent Syria-related violence during the past two years, including waves of deadly clashes.

Lebanon is officially neutral in Syria's conflict, but the country is deeply divided.