An explosion rocked the northern Lebanese city Tripoli on Monday morning as a bus carrying soldiers burst into flames, leaving at least five soldiers dead and scores wounded, local media reported.
It is the second time within two months that a bomb targeting soldiers has exploded in Tripoli, which last year witnessed a 43-day battle between the Lebanese army and fighters belonging to the Al-Qa’ida-inspired group Fatah al Islam in the Nahr al-Braid refugee camp outside the city.
The Lebanese army, which is made up of members of all the various religious and ethic groups that comprise Lebanese society, has been very careful not to get involved in the inter factional violence that has plagued the county since the end of the civil war of 1975-1990.
The independence of the army was highlighted earlier this year when Michel Suleiman, the former head of the army, was chosen to become the new president of Lebanon, ending a 18-month stalemate, following the departure of his predecessor Emile Lahoud at the end of his term.
The deadlock came after the two main political blocs, Hizbullah and the pro-Western Future Movement, failed to agree on a new candidate who was acceptable to both sides. An agreement was in the end brokered by the emir of the Gulf kingdom Qatar after the conflict deteriorated to fighting in the streets between supporters of the opposing groups.
Voices of concern have been heard among Lebanese politicians that Syria is once again planning to enter Lebanon under the pretext of stabilizing the country, after the Syrian army deployed between 8,000 to 10,000 troops along the Syria-Lebanon border.
Officially, the reason for the troop movement is to curb smuggling between the two countries; however some politicians believe the Syrians are once again planning to enter Lebanon.