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Cautious calm in Lebanon’s Tripoli amid expectation of new fighting

23 August 2012 22:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Residents of Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli fleeing their home due to clashes between the Alawite Jabal Mosen and Sunni Bab El Tebbaneh neighborhoods have not been able to return home, despite the cautious calm following four days of fierce fighting and the redeployment of army in the area, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The army was redeployed late Wednesday following a ceasefire agreement reached during a meeting hosted by Tripoli deputy governor Mohammad Kabbara, who had the full backing of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, after at least 10 people were killed and 96 injured in the sectarian clashes, including 15 army soldiers, according to a security source.

The security source, who requested anonymity, told Xinhua that the gun battles stopped completely Thursday as the army put an end to the sporadic clashes.

Buildings in the city’s Syria Street, which separates the two rival neighborhoods, were hit by machine gun bullets and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) that were used during the fighting, with marks left clearly on the facades and broken glass covering the street.

Soldiers are dismantling unexploded shells launched by both parties, or removing the road blocks the fighters erected to take cover.

Some families who came back to check their properties in the street during the cautious calm said they would not return home soon, but only came to fetch stuffs left in their home.

Zeinab Al Zoghbi, a 48-year-old widow who moved to her sister’s home in one of Tripoli’s safe areas after the clashes erupted, said she had to flee her home in a hurry when the fighting broke out unexpectedly.

"My house was hit and the windows were broken, and I am afraid of returning before I’m sure the fighting would not break again," she said.

Another resident of Bab el Tebbaneh, Walid Sukkari, whose house is located near the front line, said his house was hit by shells. "During the recent fighting, my house sustained a few bullets. I left with my family to live at my brother’s house in Akkar and I do not know when I would be able to return," he said.

"We want these battles to end so we can get back to our work and home. We are poor and without work, we cannot even afford food for our families," Sukkari stressed, adding that "those who are carrying guns are being paid and supported, but for us, there is nobody to support us."

The fighters of Bab el Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen said the reason behind their fighting is the Syrian crisis and its repercussions on Lebanon, as the Alawite neighborhood supports the Syrian government and the Sunni one opposes it.

Khaled El Rawi, 45, a Sunni militant from Bab el Tebbaneh, said, "The reason (of our clashes) is the Syrian crisis. We are convinced that the situation here would remain till the end of the crisis in Syria. That’s why we should keep ready for a new round of fighting."

Sobhi Saadia, another Sunni militant in Bab el Tebbaneh, said, "We poor always pay the price of wars. I do not know where fighters get the money to buy ammunition, as the price of a RPG is 800 U.S. dollars and every Kalashnikov bullet costs 2 dollars. When paying for the ammunition stops, everything would end and we will resume our lives."

Tarek Al Obaidi, 40, an Alawite fighter in Jabal Mohsen said, " Our political stance is with the Syrian regime and we have the right to express our opinion."

Another fighter called Rabih Shehade said, "Most of Tripoli residents are against these fighting, but there are some who are trying to ignite sedition."