A lull in the fighting in the northern city of Tripoli Saturday morning was broken by intermittent sniper fire, killing a Syrian man and bringing the total death toll to nine with some 49 wounded.
Abdullah Keserwani was shot by a sniper and killed while passing under the Malloula Bridge, as another man, Bilal Mahmoud al-Riz, died from his wounds in the Islamic Hospital, a security source told The Daily Star.
Fighting between the rival neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen erupted Thursday following the fatal shooting of Jabal Mohsen resident Walid Barhoum. Among those killed in clashes was a 10-year-old girl.
Militants from Bab al-Tabbaneh, a predominantly-Sunni neighborhood known for its support for the armed Syrian opposition, have engaged in multiple rounds of fighting with Alawite fighters from Jabal Mohsen, which enjoys strong links with the Syrian regime.
Clashes appeared to recede early Saturday morning as news emerged of a political breakthrough in Cabinet over the ministerial policy statement, but the atmosphere in Tripoli remained extremely tense, the source said.
