Qahwaji Warns against Keeping Tripoli 'at Gunmen's Mercy': We Won't Be Lenient

Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji on Tuesday warned against keeping the northern city of Tripoli “at the mercy of gunmen,” stressing that the army “will not be lenient with them.”

As he inspected the military units deployed in Tripoli as part of the security plan laid out by the Army Command, Qahwaji stressed “the need to take the strictest measures that can keep the security situation in the city under control and prevent the 'importing or exporting' of strife.”

The army commander called on troops to “suppress all security violations, intensify patrols and respond to gunfire whatever its source may be.”

Qahwaji warned against keeping Tripoli "at the mercy of gunmen," underlining the army's insistence on "preserving the city's stability and its permanent communication with its spiritual and political leaders in order to address the repercussions of the events.”

Commenting on the latest security incidents in Beirut, Tripoli and other regions, Qahwaji said "there are undisciplined groups who benefited from the tense political situations to tamper with citizens' security.”

“The army will not be lenient with these groups and it will take effective security measures in areas hosting non-Lebanese communities,” Qahwaji added, calling on “all foreign residents to respect Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The army commander also called on his troops to "treat all the residents of Tripoli equally," noting that "the army would support all political parties if they are under the law and would oppose all parties if they breach civil peace."

The army deployed last Tuesday in Syria Street, the frontier between the rival Tripoli districts of Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh, as a ceasefire was declared following three days of clashes in the area that left 11 people dead and 39 others wounded.

The clashes were sparked by the assassination of Intelligence Bureau chief Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan in a powerful car bombing in the Beirut district of Ashrafiyeh that also killed his bodyguard and a civilian woman and wounded more than 100 people.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Mohammed Kabbara has urged Tripoli's residents to “fully cooperate with the army in order to restore security.”

“Security in the city of Tripoli is a red line,” said Kabbara, reciting a statement issued after a meeting for Tripoli's dignitaries at his residence.

The conferees called on the army and security forces to “fully practice their role in restoring security, preventing any violations and creating a safe environment in the city."

They stressed that “any security chaos does not serve the cause of the sovereign forces, but rather the interests of those plotting against Lebanon."

The rival districts have been gripped by frequent fighting between pro- and anti-Assad supporters as tensions spilled across the border from Syria, reflecting a split between Lebanon's parties where the March 14-led opposition backs the revolt in Syria, while a ruling coalition led by Hizbullah supports the Damascus regime.

The Army Command last week announced that army units had arrested around 100 gunmen, including 34 Syrians and four Palestinians, in a security sweep in Beirut and Tripoli.