Tension in Bab al-Tabbaneh as Residents Protest over 'Army, Hizbullah Bombing of Arsal'
Several people rallied on Monday in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood of the northern city of Tripoli to protest what they considered the “army and Hizbullah's shelling” of the eastern border region of Arsal.
The protesters' march took off near Tripoli's Harba mosque and they roamed streets surrounding Bab al-Tabbaneh, arriving at the northern city's Abou Ali roundabout, the state-run National News Agency reported.
They shouted slogans criticizing the bombing of Arsal “by the army and Hizbullah.”
Protesters tried to block the main streets linking Tripoli to the northern city of Akkar, but army troops interfered using tear bombs and prevented them from executing their plan, the NNA noted.
The army then closed the international road at the Abou Ali roundabout, and diverted traffic in the area towards the seaside road.
Later in the evening, tension soared in the Tripoli neighborhood as media outlets reported clashes between the army and the protesters.
MTV said a hand grenade was hurled near an army post at the Abou Ali roundabout, adding that reports said one soldier was wounded in the incident.
Arsal has been the scene of deadly clashes between army troops and Syrian gunmen since Saturday. The battles resulted in the death of 14 soldiers and the injury of over 85 others, while five civilians were reportedly killed as well. Twenty-two troops, meanwhile, have gone missing, according to a communique released by the military institution.
The battles started after the arrest of a Syrian man accused of being a top leader of al-Qaida's Syrian branch al-Nusra Front. Following his arrest, gunmen surrounded army posts before opening fire, sparking the clashes.
S.D.B.
Y.R.
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