Heavy fighting broke out Monday between government supporters and opponents in Lebanon's second-largest city, where the two sides battled with rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and mortars, security officials and paramedics said. Locals said they heard strong blasts reverberating through Tripoli. The fighting had stopped Sunday morning after Lebanese soldiers deployed between the two sides, then flared again Monday after soldiers pulled back when the situation calmed.
According to the AP, the latest clashes erupted when pro-government forces thought opponents gathering for a funeral in a nearby neighborhood were preparing a new attack, security officials said. At least one man was killed in these clashes.
Arab foreign ministers held talks in Cairo on Sunday and decided to dispatch a delegation to Beirut to help find a solution. The delegation was expected in Beirut on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, shops began opening in Beirut and more civilians were seen emerging from their homes, though traffic was lighter than usual. Many schools and universities were still closed.
A minor clash broke out at dawn between government supporters and Hizbullah-allied pro-Syrian gunmen in the busy Hamra district, security officials said. Two cameramen for Al-Jazeera television, who arrived at the scene to cover the shooting, were lightly wounded and briefly hospitalized, the channel said.
Major roads in Beirut, including the main airport highway, were still blocked Monday with huge sand barriers.
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
