3 Syrian Diesel Tankers Torched in Tripoli, Gunmen Appear on Streets
Three fuel tankers with Syrian plate numbers were torched on Thursday in an old wheat market in the northern city of Tripoli, the National News Agency reported.
"Seven tankers were attacked and their drivers were detained for a while before being released by the residents of (the northern area of) Bab al-Tabbaneh,” Agence France Presse elaborated.
One driver is still missing, a security source said.
AFP added: “While three tankers were torched, the four others were dismantled by the residents”.
"The attackers wrote slogans referring to (the Islamist anti-President Bashar Assad) al-Nusra Front on the tankers”.
The NNA had reported earlier on Thursday that Bab al-Tabbaneh residents intercepted a number of fuel tankers coming from Syria to transport diesel from Lebanon.
The NNA said in February that residents of al-Baddawi region in the northern Akkar had stopped several tankers transporting diesel to Syria.
Meanwhile, Radio Voice of Lebanon (93.3) said that unknown assailants opened fire at two gasoline trucks carrying Syrian license plates in Tripoli, prompting the army to deploy in the area.
Later on Thursday, Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5) said "a diesel tanker exploded in Tripoli after being torched and black smoke is engulfing the city."
"An Energa rocket fell between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, amid reports of two wounded people and a tense situation in the area," it added.
This comes after several media outlets said on Tuesday that gasoline trucks have reportedly headed to Damascus after filling their tankers in Lebanon.
However, the Energy Ministry said that fuel tankers captured transporting oil to Syria are filled by private companies, stressing that the cabinet is not committed to the sanctions imposed on the neighboring country.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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