Renewed Clashes Between Rival Tripoli Neighborhoods, Citizens Exposed to Sniper Fire
Clashes renewed in the contested districts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh in the northern port city of Tripoli early Friday, leading the army to close the Tripoli-Akkar highway to prevent citizens from being exposed to sniper fire.
One person was injured in the clashes, a security official told Agence France Presse.
A passerby from the Sunni neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh was injured in the crossfire between fighters from his district and the neighboring largely Alawite area of Jabal Mohsen, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Media reports also said that snipers were targeting neighborhoods far from the contested areas, adding that sniper fire has reached Zahrieh, Mallouleh and the highway leading to Syria.
Voice of Lebanon radio station said the Lebanese military closed the Tripoli-Akkar highway to protect citizens from snipers.
Three grenades exploded overnight Thursday in Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh where such incidents have become frequent despite an army presence meant to bring calm.
Last Friday, one person was killed and six people were wounded in clashes in the same districts.
Fighting and grenade attacks are commonplace between Bab al-Tabbaneh — where most residents are supporters of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora — and Jabal Mohsen, an area which supports Hizbullah.
Fourteen people have been killed and more than 100 wounded since June in clashes between the two neighborhoods.
Calm had returned earlier in the month after the army moved in, threatening to respond to any security threats.
The army command had said that any shooting would be handled by the military forces.