Syria Spillover Fighting in Lebanon Intensifying
Published at
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TRIPOLI, Lebanon) — On Monday Lebanon’s second-biggest city — Tripoli — saw its third day of fierce clashes, and Monday night there were reports of mortars being used for the first time. Machine guns and RPGs have been used in the fighting that has killed at least eight people and injured around 50, according to NOW Lebanon.
The fighting is taking place between Sunni residents and members of the Alawite community, the same Shiite offshoot to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs. They have clashed before, but as Nasser Atta notes, the Lebanese media says it’s some of the most intense the city has seen in years, and it’s directly tied to the Syrian conflict.
The violence started Saturday when fundamentalist Sunni cleric Shadi Mawlawi — believed to be sending weapons and fighters into Syria — was arrested by Lebanese security forces for “ties to a terrorist organization.” He was charged Monday with belonging to an armed terrorist group. On Saturday, his Islamist supporters attacked Lebanese soldiers and tried to march on the offices of a pro-Assad party. Soldiers are trying to keep the peace but it’s not working.
Many Syrian refugees (Sunni) have sought refuge in Tripoli, just a short distance from the border with Syria.
This spillover violence and the extremist bombings of late do not bode well for this conflict.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio