17 injured in Lebanon clashes

Seventeen people have been wounded in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli in clashes between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government, Press TV reports.

Clashes erupted in the Lebanese port city on Saturday, after Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) summoned Ali Eid, the leader of Alawite community, for questioning over twin blasts that hit Tripoli in August.

Eid has denied receiving any summons and refused to appear in court.

His son, Refaat Eid, who is the secretary general of Lebanon’s Arab Democratic Party, denied any link to the bombings and expressed distrust in the Lebanese intelligence system.

Sheikh Assad Assi, the president of the Alawite Islamic Council, has warned the ISF against summoning Ali Eid, calling the move an insult to the Shia Alawite community.

Meanwhile, the Sunni Future Bloc has called on the ISF to arrest Ali Eid by force if he disobeys the judicial order.

According to a Lebanese judicial source, summoning Eid for questioning comes after his driver, Ahmad Mohammad Ali, confessed to smuggling one of the suspects behind the Tripoli blasts into Syria. Refaat Eid has denied involvement.

Tripoli has witnessed clashes between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government since the beginning of the unrest in Syria more than two years ago.

The clashes have been concentrated in the Bab al-Tibbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods of Tripoli.

Bab al-Tibbaneh residents are against the government in Damascus, and the people of Jabal Mohsen support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.