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Street Clashes Rage Between Army and Militants in Northern Lebanon

At least one civilian and 12 militants have been killed since fighting broke out between Islamist gunmen and the Lebanese army in the port city of Tripoli.
Photo via AP

At least one civilian and 12 militants have been killed since fighting broke out between Islamist gunmen and the Lebanese army over the weekend in the port city of Tripoli, Lebanon.

A two-hour truce Saturday between the army and suspected Islamic State-sympathizers allowed a brief window for civilians to flee the area where fierce clashes have been raging since Friday night, local media reported.

The ceasefire, negotiated during a meeting between the military and religious and local representatives under northern Lebanon's Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, also allowed the army to evacuate at least 20 people, including eight wounded soldiers, security sources told Lebanon's Daily Star.

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Photo: Lebanese army soldiers help evacuate civilians during clashes with terrorists in Tripoli. — ???? (@jeanassy)October 25, 2014

The clashes were sparked late Friday night after 20 militants shot at an army post in Tripoli's Old Souks neighborhood before fleeing, the Star reported. A militant commander was one of the first to be killed amid the fighting, according to unconfirmed reports.

Security forces said "armed groups" were heavily deployed in the al-Zahiriyah area Friday evening "with the aim of destabilizing the town and inciting sectarian strife."

By Saturday morning, the military had the gunmen surrounded in part of Tripoli's Old City and the sides were exchanging heavy gunfire, according to Reuters.

Photos and video uploaded to local Facebook page Tripoli News shows soldiers using handheld rocket launchers in the city's streets Saturday.

The exact affiliation of the militants remains unclear, but local news reported that the attack was launched after a suspected Sunni militant died in custody following an army raid on a militant hideout Thursday in which three others were killed.

Security forces told the Star the suspect Ahmad Salim Mikati, who was captured and later died in prison, had admitted to being a member of the Islamic State, and was plotting the abduction of Lebanese fighters.

Tripoli is located just 20 miles away from the Syrian border, and has endured the fallout of intense fighting and spillover from its neighbor's ongoing civil war. Sunni Islamists have accused the Lebanese military of harboring connections with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, a powerful militant and political organization, is closely allied with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and has assisted his efforts to quash the opposition during the Syrian civil war.

The Lebanese army published a statement in local media over the weekend, according to Reuters, which stated: "The pursuit of terrorist gunmen in Tripoli is continuing and will not be pulled back until after the terrorists are eliminated."

Follow Liz Fields on Twitter: @lianzifields