Tripoli ‘calm’ after Lebanese army deployed

Militia forces supporting and opposing Syria’s President Assad clashed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

There were 13 people killed on Saturday and two more died of their wounds today. Although gunfire could still be heard, the city centre seems to be relatively calm since the army moved in.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other local politicians held a crisis meeting and instructed security forces to use an “iron fist” to quell the violence.

Tripoli has been split by fighting as it is home to a small community of Alawites – from the same offshoot of Shi’ite Islam as Assad. The Alawites have frequently clashed with majority Sunni Muslims who support the uprising.

Gunmen from the Jebel Mohsen district, home to Tripoli’s Alawites, have fought intermittent battles over recent weeks with Sunni Muslim fighters in the Bab al-Tabbaneh area.

The latest fighting began after midnight on Friday and continued throughout Saturday until the army deployment.

The death toll was the highest in a single day in Tripoli, reflecting the increasing threat to stability in Lebanon caused by tensions over neighbouring Syria.

The areas have long-standing grievances separate from the Syrian conflict, but the Sunni-led uprising against Assad has caused strife among Lebanon’s mixed population, especially in Tripoli, north of Beirut.

Syria flooded Lebanon with troops early in its 1975-1990 civil war and dominated its neighbour for more than a decade afterwards.

Despite having withdrawn troops in 2005, it still has a significant presence amongst Lebanon’s military and intelligence forces.