Jabal Mohsen Residents Hold Sit-In Demanding Compensations

Jabal Mohsen residents held on Thursday a brief sit-in to protest the cabinet's delay in paying compensations for the damages caused by the recent security incidents in the northern city of Tripoli.

Protesters called on Prime Minister Najib Miqati to discuss with the Higher Relief Council the appropriate way to compensate for those who were affected by the incidents.

Arab Democratic Party official Abdul Latif Saleh warned of further escalatory measures if officials failed to meet their demands.

Recently, Bab al-Tabbaneh residents blocked the international highway that links Tripoli with Akkar over similar causes.

Clashes between the rival districts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh were sparked by the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan who died in a powerful car bombing in the Beirut district of Ashrafiyeh on October 19.

Media reports said that battles in the city in May and August killed at least 23 people in total and wounded dozens.

The two neighborhoods have been gripped by frequent fighting between pro- and anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad supporters, 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.