Lebanon: Four Killed In Tripoli Fighting Between Gunmen Loyal To Opposing Sides In Syria Civil War

BEIRUT – Lebanon’s official news agency says four people have been killed in fighting in the Lebanese city of Tripoli between gunmen loyal to opposite sides in Syria’s civil war.

The state-run National News Agency says 12 others were wounded in the clashes Sunday. Tripoli has been the scene of frequent sectarian clashes during the Syria civil war.

The fighting has sometimes spilled across Syria’s borders, raising concerns of a regional war.

Last week the Lebanese army sent additional troops to Tripoli to try to prevent clashes that followed reports of 17 Lebanese men killed after entering Syria to fight alongside the mostly Sunni rebels. The Syrian rebels are trying to topple President Bashar Assad, whose regime is dominated by Alawites, an offshoot Shiite group.

Tripoli has sizeable Sunni and Alawite communities.” Source – Montreal Gazette.

Flashback: Hezbollah Considering Military Coup If Assad Falls – “Hezbollah’s leadership is considering the possibility of taking control of Beirut and effectively carrying out a military coup in Lebanon should the current Syrian regime fall, the al-Arabia network reported Tuesday. According to the report, Hezbollah members have expressed concerns over the escalation of the civil uprising in Syria, which could lead to the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime. The Syrian president is an ally of the Lebanese Shiite group. Sources close to Hezbollah noted that it was due to those concerns that the Hezbollah leadership was examining various scenarios – including a ‘broad maneuver on the ground,’ similar to the takeover of Beirut in May 2008. However, the current plans apparently include a much more extensive maneuver which may expand to a military coup. ‘As soon as Hezbollah will sense that the collapse of Assad’s regime is imminent, armed cells will quickly begin operating to seize control of Beirut’s eastern and western parts,’ one of the sources told al-Arabia.”Read more.