Cautious Calm in Tripoli as Businesses Close in Mourning
A cautious calm prevailed in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday as most businesses shot down in mourning following the death of 14 people in the fighting between two rival neighborhoods.
The National News Agency said that banks, the commerce and industry chamber in the North, and the municipality of Tripoli abided by the request of civil society organizations to close in mourning of the victims.
Most major markets were also closed amid limited traffic in the city.
The fighting with machineguns and Rocket Propelled Grenades between the mostly Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh, whose residents oppose Syrian President Bashar Assad, and the Alawite Jabal Mohsen that supports the embattled leader has left 14 people dead and more than 50 wounded since Saturday.
Despite the heavy deployment of the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces inside the two areas and Syria Street that separates the rival neighborhoods, several people were injured overnight Sunday.
According to media reports, policeman Mohammed al-Sahmarani, Ahmed Khaled and two others were injured by sniper fire at 10:00 pm Sunday.
A group of youth vandalized a shop and blew up a coffee shop with a grenade.
A library was also torched in the Qobbeh area near the Lebanese University building.
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