Lebanon moves army to end sectarian violence

Lebanese army and security forces Tuesday began implementing a security plan to suppress sectarian clashes, media reported.

The Lebanese army started deployment in the port city of Tripoli to bring to an end the renewed clashes between the Sunni neighbourhood of Bab El-Tebbaneh, who supports the Syrian rebels, and the Alawite neighbourhood of Jabal Mohsen who backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Xinhua reported.

The army units early Tuesday set up checkpoints at the city entrance and all along the Syrian street dividing the feuding neighbourhoods, and two army helicopters flew overhead for surveillance and protection purposes.

The army also began removing barricades and sandbags and carried out raids to detain suspects mainly in the neighbourhoods of Qibbeh, Neemani and Jabal Mohsen, reports said.

An army unit raided the residence of the pro-Syrian Arab Democratic Party secretary-general Rifaat Eid in Jabal Mohsen and confiscated two wireless devices and two surveillance cameras among other items.

The Lebanese cabinet approved Thursday the security plan and tasked the army "with seizing arms depots in Tripoli and taking all measures to arrest suspects involved in the fighting in the city and north-eastern areas bordering Syria".