Beirut (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Lebanese army has launched a fierce assault against Sunni militants in Tripoli, northern Lebanon's main city, forcing the Jihadists to retreat from the Old City and the nearby neighbourhood of Bab al-Tabbaneh.
Renewed fighting erupted on Friday and continued during the weekend. At least five soldiers and two civilians have died in the violence.
The militants, thought to be linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda, have threatened to kill captured soldiers unless the army halts its operations.
In the last few hours, the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Nusra Front warned the "Lebanese army against any military escalation targeting Sunnis in Tripoli", demanding they "accept a peaceful solution, or else we will be forced in the coming hours to bring closure to the issue of the soldiers we are holding hostage, given that they are prisoners of war."
Tripoli has already seen violent outbreaks in the past, but this is the first time since the start of the war in Syria that militants seized the Old City and its bazaar, a candidate to become UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The military responded quickly, forcing the militia to retreat to the suburb of Bab al-Tabbaneh, home to at least 100,000 people.
The army resumed its offensive today but the armed militias appear to have abandoned their positions and only isolated gunfire could be heard.
Lebanon's Future Television has also reported fierce clashes between the army and al-Nusra Front and Islamic State groups in the Wadi al-Raayan area in the Arsal region where gunmen from the two groups clashed with the army back in August.
On Sunday, the army raided an apartment in Arsal's Ras al-Saraj area, arresting five Syrians suspected of ties with terrorist groups.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi also spoke about events in the country. On Sunday, he voiced his support for the army and slammed the attack against it in the northern city of Tripoli.
"We pray for the success of the military institution and security forces in preserving security and stability in Lebanon," the cardinal said during an official visit to Sydney, Australia.
"We also pray for peace in Syria, Iraq, and the rest of the countries of the Middle East," he added, reiterating his demand that the presidential deadlock end and elections be held.
Finally, the Lebanese government recently announced it could not admit more refugees from neighbouring Syria because the country had reached its saturation point.
Lebanon has taken in 1.1 million Syrians fleeing the armies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those of his enemies, including terrorist groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, this in a country of just over four million people.