Commandos Descend on Tripoli, Ghosn Warns Country's Fate at Stake
Army commandos joined on Tuesday other military brigades seeking to impose security in the northern city of Tripoli after deadly clashes between rival neighborhoods left several people dead and injured.
The army completed the deployment before noon in the areas that witnessed heavy clashes in the past three days, said the state-run National News Agency.
But after the deployment, the clashes and sniper fire intensified in several areas and mainly in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, reportedly leaving one dead and at least five injured.
All private and state-run schools in Tripoli and the nearby al-Beddawi area were closed. The Lebanese University campus in al-Qobbeh in addition to shops and markets were also shut.
The army command said two soldiers were killed in Bab al-Tabbaneh on Monday. Their death in addition to Tuesday's casualties brought the toll since the fighting erupted on Sunday to five.
The army’s communique said soldiers will firmly respond to the sources of fire.
Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn condemned on Tuesday the attack on the army, saying the military institution will remain steadfast to protect the country and preserve security.
He warned in a statement that the security chaos in Tripoli was putting the entire country's fate at stake.
The people behind “instigation campaigns … will not be able to prevent the army from confronting those who gave themselves the right to tamper with the city's security,” Ghosn said.
“The past few days proved that there is no political cover to anyone … and that the army is the decision-maker in resolving” such issues, he added.
Tripoli has seen repeated clashes between Sunnis residing the neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and gunmen from Jabal Mohsen whose residents are from the Alawite sect of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In March, at least five people were killed and 26 others were wounded, including army troops, in gunbattles between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh.
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