Clashes erupt in Tripoli between LAF and armed men

Clashes erupted on Monday evening in the Al-Mankoubin and Al-Malouleh regions in Tripoli between Lebanese Armed Forces and armed men.                

Exchange of fire was witnessed after armed men attempted to set up a checkpoint to search vehicles passing by and to check the identities of the commuters; a means to implement the "self-security" policy after the explosions that rocked the city.                        

On Friday the 23rd of August, two explosions rocked the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli near the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques, leaving 45 killed and almost 500 others injured.                      
Thick black smoke billowed as gunshots were fired into the air. Ambulances rushed to the scene and security forces cordoned off the area for fears of further attacks.                                    
The blasts come amid rising tension in Lebanon resulting from Syria's civil war, which has sharply polarized the country along sectarian lines and between supporters and opponents of the regime of President Bashar Assad.


To watch a VIDEO depicting the exchange of fire, please click on the photo above