Tension returned late Wednesday to the
outskirts of the northern port city of Tripoli, as supporters of rival Lebanese
political camps set alight 70 houses and temporarily blocked roads.
The actions occurred in the districts of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal
Mohsen, the Lebanese army intervened forcefully and opened the roads before the
situation deteriorated, local residents told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
A gas station in al-Tabbaneh area however was set ablaze, followed by burning
of as many as 70 houses in Bab al-Tabbaneh and in the al- Bakkar quarter in
acts of revenge.
Meanwhile, the death toll from heavy clashes earlier in the week between pro-
and anti-government supporters in Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohen rose to nine,
hospital sources said in Tripoli.
The sources said the latest victims succumbed to their injuries late Tuesday.
The clashes on Sunday and Monday had pitted Sunni supporters of the majority in
parliament against members of an Alawite sect loyal to the Hezbollah-led
opposition.
The violence threatened to foil an agreement reached in Doha
last month between rival politicians to end an 18-month political crisis in
Lebanon, dpa reported.
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