There have been no reports of gunfire on the streets of Lebanon’s northern city Tripoli for 24 hours. Calm was restored when soldiers entered the normally peaceful coastal city after two days of fighting. While Tripoli escaped the worst of the country’s violence over the last couple of years, there have been bloody gun battles there in recent months. The latest fighting was between pro-Syrian Alawis and pro-Lebanese-government Sunnis. With 17 recognized confessional groupings in Lebanon, sporadic fighting between them has become a way of life. The recent violence and political unrest is symptomatic of a greater malaise in the deeply-divided country, said an analyst at The Media Line. “The fighting will continue between the factions and religious groupings for as long as the Shi’ites are not recognized as the largest single element and given political control,” the analyst said. Under an 18-year-old agreement, control of the country is divided between three religious groupings – a division that does not accurately reflect demographic changes in the country.