Army Completes Deployment in Bab al-Tabbaneh, Jabal Mohsen as ISF Vows Zero Tolerance
The army on Sunday announced that it has completed its deployment in Tripoli’s Syria Street and all neighborhoods in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, as the Internal Security Forces stressed they “will not be tolerant with anyone anymore,” after 15 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in fierce street clashes.
Army units “deployed in all the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen in addition to Syria Street, contrary to what some media outlets reported, while other units belonging to the ISF will deploy later in these areas,” said a statement issued by the Army Command in the afternoon.
“Stability has been restored in the aforementioned neighborhoods as army units continue to reinforce their security measures, including the pursuing of gunmen and the identification of any gunfire source, in order to take the appropriate measures immediately,” the statement added.
For his part, Brig. Gen. Bassam al-Ayyoubi, commander of Tripoli’s ISF department, said “total calm has been restored in all hotspots and gunmen have left the streets in the two areas and I stress that we will shoot back at any gunfire, wherever it may come from, because the country cannot bear further security incidents.”
In a press conference he held in Tripoli, Ayyoubi noted that “the political cover has been lifted off all security violators,” adding that security forces will preserve security and “will not be tolerant with anyone.”
Ayyoubi also called on television reporters to cover the events transparently and not to interview anyone promoting violence.
And as he denied as “inaccurate and baseless” claims that members of the rebel Free Syrian Army took part in the Tripoli clashes, Ayyoubi stressed that security forces will pursue “any security violators and those funding them and inciting them to violence.”
But the general did not rule out the presence of a “fifth column that is inflaming the situations” in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.
The fragile peace that was restored Sunday morning was violated by occasional sounds of gunshots and the return of sniper attacks, reported LBC television.
It said cautious calm engulfed the northern coastal city with the deployment of the army and the ISF according to a security plan that was devised late on Saturday.
LBC added that gunshots were fired heavily during a funeral procession for one of the victims of the clashes that broke out Friday.
No gunmen were witnessed on Syria Street, but they have been replaced with the army and security forces, it continued.
MTV had reported earlier during the day that the cautious and tense calm in the city was being interrupted by intermittent gunfire.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati had called for a security meeting at his Tripoli residence on Saturday night in order to devise a plan to end the unrest.
An agreement was reached to lift political cover off those creating the unrest.
The conferees also agreed to allow the army and ISF to take all necessary measures to reach an immediate ceasefire.
The rival Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen have been gripped by frequent fighting, reflecting a split between Lebanon's parties where the March 14-led opposition backs the revolt in Syria while a ruling coalition led by Hizbullah supports the Damascus regime.
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