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Two killed, dozen injured in Lebanon Tripoli clashes

20 February 2014 20:48 (UTC +04:00)

Violence broke out on Thursday between people living in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tibbaneh and Jabal Mohsen. The Bab al-Tibbaneh residents support militants fighting against the Syrian government, while the inhabitants of neighboring Jabal Mohsen are loyal to Assad.

According to reports, clashes came after a senior official of a Lebanese Alawite party was assassinated in the city earlier in the day.

Abdelrahman Diab was gunned down by masked assailants on a motorbike as he was driving his vehicle along the coastal Mina highway.

Diab was a senior official in Lebanon’s Arab Democratic Party that supports the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

He reportedly died instantly from 12 gunshots that pierced his chest, head and neck. His bullet-riddled body was then transferred to Tripoli’s Islamic Hospital.

Local schools and businesses are now closed in Tripoli, with security forces beefing up security there.

Tripoli has been the scene of fierce clashes between the supporters and opponents of the Syrian government since the beginning of the violence in Syria almost three years ago.

Last month, at least 10 people, including a Lebanese army soldier, were killed in five days of clashes between the two sides in the city.