Five people died in clashes in
Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli and gunmen attacked a cleric in the
southern port of Sidon on Monday, security sources said, in more
violence stoked by civil war in neighboring Syria.
The overnight
clashes in Tripoli ended a week of relative calm after at least 30
persons were killed last month in the deadliest fighting yet between
gunmen who support the uprising against Bashar al-Assad and Alawite
supporters of the Syrian president.
At least one of the dead came
from the Sunni Muslim Bab Tebbaneh neighborhood, and 27 people were
wounded, mainly by sniper fire in the city center, the sources in
Tripoli said.
The sources added that three Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers and two Internal Security Forces members
were injured also by sniper fire in Tripoli.
Although traffic and pedestrian movement was
reported as "near normal", ongoing sniping operations have so far
prevented calm from completely reigning over the streets of the city.
This
as most shops, banks, universities, and schools opened their doors in a
bid to push through the heavy economic losses entailed by the city.
Lebanese Armed Forces reinforced their deployment, responding to the sources of fire, and conducting mechanized patrols.
On another note, General Prosecutor Judge Hatem Madi referred the lawsuit filed by citizen Mohammad
Abdallah against Refaat Ali Eid on charges of forming an armed militia and
causing the death of several civilians. The lawsuit was referred to the State
Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Saqr Saqr.
The
latest round of violence erupted in Tripoli on Sunday the 19th of May
between Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh leaving at least 30 persons
killed, including 3 LAF members, and more than 300 others wounded.
Clashes between the two areas stretch back to decades, but the recent round of fighting was the heaviest.
On
Sunday the 26th of May, clashes eased significantly, while sporadic
gunshots were still heard occasionally as Lebanese Armed Forces deployed
in al-Kobbeh and Rifa regions, and headed towards Syria Street.
The port city of Tripoli has long been a stronghold of Sunni Islamists in northern Lebanon.
Similarly,
Lebanon's southern city, Sidon, was the scene of violence today after
gunmen fired at
Sunni cleric Maher Hammoud as he headed towards his
mosque for dawn prayers. They missed their target and fled when
Hammoud's two guards returned fire.
Hammoud is seen as close to
Hezbollah and has criticized a prominent Sidon Islamist, Sheikh Ahmed
al-Assir, who has called on Lebanese Sunnis to head for Syria to fight
Assad.
Lebanon is struggling to curb the spillover of violence from Syria, where 80,000 people have died in the last two years.
REUTERS/LBCI
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