Rebel Snipers Kill Alawites in Northern Lebanon

11 Killed as Violence Enters Third Day in Tripoli

Sectarian violence in the Northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli is no closer to ending today, despite the military sealing off most of the major roads and setting up checkpoints between neighborhoods of different religious sects. The death toll is now up to 11.

With that making fighting on the ground more difficult, Sunni militias linked with Syrian rebels have turned to sniper attacks against Alawite neighborhoods, killing several people, including a 13-year-old shot inside his own home.

Opposition MPs are slamming the military for a “lax” response, saying that they aren’t serious about getting the city back under control and insisting they hold the ruling coalition responsible.

The fighting in the city centers on Syria Street, which separates the Sunni neighborhoods from the city’s Alawite minority. The Sunni neighborhoods are home to militias linked with Syria’s rebel movement, and as they have gotten more active the Alawites, who are targeted primarily because they are the same sect as Syrian President Assad, have set up their own armed groups.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.