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Jumblat: Assad's Fall Not Through Firing at Jabal Mohsen

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat emphasized that he will discuss with former PM Saad Hariri the latest developments in the northern city of Tripoli, stressing that the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad will not be through firing at Jabal Mohsen.

“Everyone must know that firing at Jabal Mohsen neighborhood will not lead to the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad. It only harms the city itself,” stressed Jumblat in remarks to al-Akhbar daily on Thursday.

Fierce clashes have been lingering in Tripoli since May between Bab al-Tabbaneh, which supports the Syrian uprising, and Jabal Mohsen, which supports the Syrian regime.

The fighting has flared sporadically in the city since the beginning of the Syria conflict in March 2011, recording scores of casualties.

On Tuesday, the rival neighborhoods exchanged gunfire for a third day in a row, and snipers shot dead two men, as local religious and political figures warned the situation could spiral out of control.

The violence continued on Tuesday, with assailants torching Alawite-owned shops in the Sunni neighborhood of Bab el-Tabbaneh.

The latest confrontations come after a brief lull in the violence between the two sides, following a flare-up last month that left 31 people dead and more than 200 hurt.


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