Beirut - At least three people were killed and more than 20
wounded in sectarian clashes that raged in northern Lebanon Friday,
police said.
Residents fled the fighting between the Sunni Muslim Bab Tabbaneh
and the Alawite Jabal Mohsen districts of Tripoli.
One soldier was seriously wounded, a military source said, adding
that more troops had deployed in the area. The clashes started at
dawn and eased off by the end of the day.
The rival sides used rocket-propelled grenades, and police said
one grenade hit a mosque in Bab al-Tabbneh. Roads leading to the two
areas remained deserted.
Police said three grenades exploded overnight in Tripoli despite a
reinforced army presence. Gunmen from both sides were then seen
taking positions for the first time since army troops had deployed in
mid-July, pledging a tough response to any security breach.
Repeated clashes between the two areas have left 14 people dead
and more than 100 wounded since June.
Bab al-Tabbaneh is a stronghold of the anti-Syrian parliamentary
majority while the inhabitants of Jabal Mohsen are mainly supporters
of the Hezbollah-led opposition.
The latest fighting came as the newly-formed cabinet struggles to
reach a consensus on a policy statement ahead of a parliamentary vote
of confidence which would enable the government to be officially
installed.
The cabinet decided on Thursday night to postpone talks on the
thorny issue of Hezbollah's arms.
Hezbollah was the only group that did not have to hand over its
weapons to the government following the 1989 Saudi-brokered Taif
agreement which ended the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war because it was
fighting the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon.
Israel pulled its troops out of Lebanon in 2000.
UN Resolution 1559, adopted in 2004, called among other things for
the 'disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese
militias.'
UN Resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 war between
Israel and Hezbollah, called for there to be 'no weapons or authority
in Lebanon other than that of the Lebanese state.'
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