Hariri Accuses Assad Regime of Launching 'Dirty' War on Tripoli, Urges State Action
Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of being the mastermind of all crimes in Lebanon, and held the state responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the northern city of Tripoli.
In a statement issued by his press office, Hariri said it was “useless” to find ways to resolve the cabinet crisis, or hold a parliamentary session or resume the national dialogue after Tripoli has come under attack in a “suspicions war.”
“There is a dirty war that the Syrian regime has launched on Tripoli and its residents through its local partners,” he said.
The city has been engulfed in fighting between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen since Monday. The clashes have left scores of casualties.
The two districts have for years witnessed deadly gunbattles. But skirmishes began to flare with increasing intensity after the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.
Bab al-Tabbaneh's residents are mostly Sunni, like Syria's rebels. Jabal Mohsen has residents of Assad's Alawite sect.
Hariri said in his statement that the order to punish Tripoli was issued as soon as the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch arrested a network responsible for deadly car bomb attacks that targeted two Sunni mosques in the city.
Hariri accused the “mastermind of all crimes who lies in Damascus,” of “seeking to drown the city of Tripoli in the chaos of arms.”
The president, prime minister and army commander, in addition to all security leaderships know the truth, but they “bury their heads in the sand,” he said.
He also criticized them for holding in vain security meetings.
“From now on, we will not stand idle to watch the city burn,” he warned.
The Mustaqbal movement chief held the state responsible for “giving up the protection of the city and its residents and leaving it to become a ground for armed chaos.”
“The state should take the initiative to settle things and … salvage Tripoli from the plot that the Syrian intelligence's agents are executing,” he said.
“Otherwise, the state and its agencies … would be a partner in the war that the Syrian regime has launched on the city,” Hariri added.
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