3 Dead in Relentless Tripoli Clashes and City's Leaders Call for Tightening Army Measures
Clashes between gunmen from rival neighborhoods in the northern city of Tripoli left three people dead as fighting intensified on Saturday morning.
The clashes that had subsided at dawn, again spiraled out of control in the morning with fighters from both Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen using rockets and other heavy weapons.
Three people were killed and four were injured in Saturday's clashes.
Caretaker premier Najib Miqati chaired a meeting in the afternoon with the participation of the North's MPs to discuss measures to be taken the restore calm in Tripoli.
“We call for the implementation of a security plan that would restore security in the city,” al-Mustaqbal MP Mohammed Kabbara said after the talks. “We also urge the Public Prosecution to continue its investigation with those committing the crime of threatening and attacking the city.”
They stressed on the army's role in "preserving civil peace," urging the military institution to “fairly and equally implement rules without any discrimination between one neighborhood and another.”
“We demand the army to tighten security measures and suppress all sniper activities from Jabal Mohsen, because despite the troops' deployment in the area, these operations were not halted and have caused the fall of many victims.”
The MPs reiterated their rejection of the state of chaos that is prevailing in the northern city, demanding the army to remove all presence of gunmen in the North.
Saturday's battles raised the six-day death toll to 26 and fed fears of the Syrian civil war spreading to Lebanon and other neighboring countries.
Lebanon has been on edge since the uprising in Syria began in March 2011.
This week's fighting in Tripoli has been linked to a Syrian regime offensive against the rebel-held city of al-Qusayr in western Syria that has included Hizbullah fighters supporting Syrian troops against the rebels.
Tripoli is overwhelmingly Sunni but has a tiny community of Alawites, members of Syrian President Bashar Assad's minority sect, which is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Bab al-Tabbaneh's residents are mostly Sunni while the majority of Alawites reside in Jabal Mohsen.
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