Fierce clashes rage in north Lebanon
Fierce battles raged between pro- and anti-government factions in north Lebanon for a second day Monday, as troops sought to control violence that has killed six people and wounded dozens.
The clashes in the port city of Tripoli have raised fears of a nationwide deterioration of the security situation amid stalled efforts by the premier to form a national unity government.
One person was killed early morning and another died of wounds sustained earlier, bringing to six the death toll from the clashes that erupted Sunday between Sunni supporters of the Western-backed majority and members of an Alawite sect loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition, a security official said.
More than 30 people have also been wounded in the fighting, the official told AFP.
Fighters in the densely populated Bab Al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen districts of the port city traded heavy machinegun fire and rocket-propelled grenades, the official said.
Several homes as well as a petrol station were on fire as people fled the area or hid in underground shelters.
Alawites are a secretive off-shoot of Shiite Islam who revere Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed.
The clashes were taking place despite an agreement on Sunday between representatives of the feuding parties for gunmen to keep off the streets and for the army to take charge of security.
"The situation is not calm and efforts are continuing to halt the violence," an army spokesman told AFP. "The army is doing its utmost but the parties that reached an agreement on Sunday are not respecting it and it is unclear who restarted the clashes."
The violence comes amid stalled efforts by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora to form a government of national unity following a deal last month that ended an 18-month political crisis that brought the country close to civil war.
Fears have mounted in recent days that the security situation could deteriorate with clashes erupting in various parts of the country between supporters of the ruling majority and opposition militants backed by Syria and Iran.
The security situation in Lebanon”s Palestinian refugee camps is also of concern in light of several incidents, notably in the largest camp of Ain al-Helweh, considered a hotbed for Islamist extremists.
Imad Yassin, a senior member of the Jund al-Sham Islamist group, was severely wounded on Sunday in a blast near the camp along with two of his bodyguards.
Sectarian clashes in various parts of the country in May left at least 65 people dead stoking fears that Lebanon, which endured 15 years of civil war up to 1990, was heading for a new conflict.
An accord reached in the Qatari capital Doha on May 21 between the opposition and ruling coalition resulted in the election of Michel Sleiman as president, ending a six-month vacuum in the top job.
But the initial euphoria that greeted Sleiman”s election has been replaced by a growing sense of doom as rival factions continue to bicker over the formation of the new government.
The Doha accords calls for the opposition to have veto power over key decisions in the new cabinet and the drafting of a new electoral law ahead of legislative elections due next year.