Army Restores Calm in Tripoli as 3 Injured in Gunfire between Rival Neighborhoods

The Lebanese army was able to restore calm in the northern city of Tripoli after exchange of gunfire broke out between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.

According to the state-run National news agency, three people were injured in the gunbattles.

They were identified as Youssef Khaddour, Moed Abdullah and Ali Assi.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) reported earlier that several men blocked the entrance of Jabal Mohsen to protest the assault on a resident by men from al-Baqar area.

Tripoli has witnessed recurrent clashes between the Sunni-majority neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the mainly Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen.

The clashes have become more frequent and deadly since the beginning of the Syrian uprising, which pits the Sunni-led opposition against the regime of President Bashar Assad, who is Alawite.

Tripoli police chief Brig. Gen. Bassam al-Ayyoubi announced early August the launching of a crackdown on gunmen in the northern city.