Army Entrusted with Tripoli Security for 6 Months, Security Forces Put under Its Command
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced Monday evening that the army will be entrusted with Tripoli's security for six months and that all security agencies in the city will be put under its command.
“During the meeting he held at the presidential palace this afternoon with President Michel Suleiman and Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji, it was decided to task the Lebanese army with taking the necessary measures to preserve security in Tripoli for a period of six months and to place security forces under its command,” said a statement issued by Miqati's office.
It was also decided to “execute the judicial warrants that were issued and that will be issued,” according to the statement.
Earlier on Monday, LBCI television quoted Miqati as saying that Tripoli will be turned into a “military zone,” the thing that was swiftly denied by the premier on his Twitter page.
LBCI also quoted Miqati as saying that “the decisions of the security meeting are in line with Article 4 of the defense law.”
The army will become responsible for the security of the city and an extraordinary decision on the matter will be issued on Monday or Tuesday, he added, according to LBCI.
"The decision reached during the Baabda meeting involves decisive military operations by the army in Tripoli when needed," MTV reported.
"The Baabda security meeting stressed that jeopardizing civil peace is a 'red line' but the decision does not involve dealing with the issue in a way similar to what happened in Nahr al-Bared," it said.
Meanwhile, influential Tripoli-based Salafist cleric Dai al-Islam al-Shahhal accused Miqati of "selling" Tripoli, noting that the decision reached in Baabda is "targeted against the Sunni sect."
"We will seek to reverse it and topple it politically," he said.
The ongoing round of clashes between the rival Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen has left at least 10 people dead and 100 others wounded since Saturday.
Fighting linked to conflict in Syria frequently erupts between the rival districts, with residents of Bab al-Tabbaneh supporting Syrian rebels and residents of Jabal Mohsen backing the Syrian regime.
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