Ceasefire Declared, Army Deploys in Tripoli after 11 Killed, 39 Hurt
The army deployed on Tuesday in Syria Street, the frontier between the rival Tripoli districts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, as a ceasefire was declared following three days of clashes in the area that left 11 people dead and 39 others wounded.
“All gunmen have left the streets and internal alleys” in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, a security official told Agence France Press.
Army units reopened all the streets in the two neighborhoods, the official added.
Earlier on Tuesday, sniper fire killed a woman in Jabal Mohsen as a man from the same neighborhood succumbed to wounds he had sustained on Monday.
The clashes were sparked by the assassination on Friday of Intelligence Bureau chief Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in a powerful car bombing in the Beirut district of Ashrafiyeh that also killed his bodyguard and a civilian woman and wounded more than 100 people.
Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed Kabbara on Monday urged Tripoli's residents to “fully cooperate with the army in order to restore security.”
“Security in the city of Tripoli is a red line,” said Kabbara, reciting a statement issued after a meeting for Tripoli's dignitaries at his residence.
The conferees called on the army and security forces to “fully practice their role in restoring security, preventing any violations and creating a safe environment in the city, especially with the advent of the Eid al-Adha holiday.”
They stressed that “any security chaos does not serve the cause of the sovereign forces, but rather the interests of those plotting against Lebanon."
"The army will restore security and we urge Tripoli's residents to fully comply with security forces and deal with things wisely, because security forces will start erecting checkpoints in Tripoli and staging patrols to arrest anyone who disrupts security," said the statement.
The rival districts have been gripped by frequent fighting between pro- and anti-Assad supporters as tensions spilled across the border from Syria, reflecting a split between Lebanon's parties where the March 14-led opposition backs the revolt in Syria, while a ruling coalition led by Hizbullah supports the Damascus regime.
The Army Command on Tuesday announced that army units arrested around 100 gunmen, including 34 Syrians and four Palestinians, in a security sweep in Beirut and Tripoli.
“Army units deployed in the areas that witnessed unrest over the past few days continued implementing the security plan laid out by the Command to suppress the presence of gunmen on the streets and confront any shooting, rioting or attacks against citizens' properties,” the Army Command said in a statement.
“These units continue to raid the hideouts of the gunmen in Beirut and Tripoli in order to restore full calm in the two cities,” it added, revealing that “around 100 gunmen were arrested, including 34 Syrians and four Palestinians.”
“A quantity of weapons, ammunition and military gear was seized, while 15 army troops were wounded by the armed men's gunfire, including two officers,” the statement added.
The Army Command stressed on Monday that Lebanon's security is a “red line” and that it will take strict measures against all those who are targeting security.
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