Army Deploys in Tripoli's Syria Street after Calm Night
Lebanese army units deployed on Tuesday in a street that separates two rival neighborhoods of the northern city of Tripoli that have been engaged in gunbattles for the past week.
The troops began their deployment at 7:00 am in Syria Street which lies between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh districts.
The soldiers carried out patrols and erected checkpoints in the street hours after calm reigned in both neighborhoods, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Clashes ended after 11:00 pm Monday after top officials held intense contacts to guarantee the army's safe entry to Syria Street, NNA said.
Three soldiers were wounded on Monday during a clash with gunmen as troops deployed in Bab al-Tabbaneh, whose residents are mostly Sunni and back the rebellion against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The military had earlier deployed in Jabal Mohsen that is mainly Alawite, the sect of Assad.
A week of bloody clashes have left scores of casualties. But top officials claim that their intention to resolve years of fighting between the two neighborhoods are true.
They took a decision last week for the army to deploy in the city and bring the situation under control.
State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr has tasked the army intelligence with carrying out a preliminary investigation to identify those involved in the clashes to take appropriate legal measures against them.
Officials close to President Michel Suleiman also told An Nahar daily published on Tuesday that the armed forces “will not back off” from a decision reached during the security meeting at Baabda Palace “no matter what the sacrifices were to bring back tranquility to Tripoli.”
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