5 killed, 52 injured in clashes in Lebanon's Tripoli

Five people killed and 52 others injured in the ongoing clashes in Lebanon's northern port city of Triploi, a security source told Xinhua on Friday. The clashes took place between the two rival Sunni neighborhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Alawite Jabal Mohsen on overnight Monday. The security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the clashes subsided on Friday morning but intermittent sniper fire can also be heard. The army used heavy machine guns in response to fire and flares to explore the sources of the shootings, and has been patrolling in the Syria Street dividing the two rival neighborhoods, the source said. The source added that "the army units deployed the area on Thursday night with gunmen who tried to infiltrate the opponents' positions which led to the injury of an officer and a soldier." On Monday evening, the fighting broke out following Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's appearance on Lebanon based al- Mayadeen TV in an interview. Bab al-Tabbaneh's Sunni inhabitants support the rebellion against the al-Assad government, while Jabal Mohsen, a majority Alawite neighborhood, backs the Syrian president.