Anti-Assad rally in Lebanon warns 'Hezbollah next'
AFP
TRIPOLI- Some 150 protesters gathered in Lebanon's Sunni Muslim city of Tripoli Friday to demand Syria's Bashar al-Assad step down and warning his ally, the Shiite Hezbollah, that it would be next.
Chanting "Down with Bashar al-Assad" and "Your turn is next, Hezbollah," they gathered outside the local Qubba mosque before making their way through the densely populated city, which is located on Lebanon's northern coast.
The rally, organised by a local Islamic group, called for Lebanon to withdraw its ambassador from Syria and demanded that Prime Minister Najib Mikati, himself a Tripoli native and Sunni Muslim, step down.
Protesters also burned pictures of the premier, whose government is dominated by the pro-Syrian Hezbollah.
The protest comes days after Lebanon voted against suspending Damascus from the 22-member Arab League, siding with Yemen and Syria.
The vote further escalated an already heated feud between the country's anti-Assad opposition, led by ex-premier Saad Hariri, and Mikati's government, which is standing by the embattled Syrian leader.
Tripoli has regularly been the scene of clashes between Sunnis and minority Alawite Muslims, who are loyal to the fellow Alawite Assad family.
Assad's troops have cracked down on protests against the regime in Syria, killing more than 3,500 people in eight months and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.
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Protesters also burned pictures of the premier, whose government is dominated by the pro-Syrian Hezbollah.
The protest comes days after Lebanon voted against suspending Damascus from the 22-member Arab League, siding with Yemen and Syria.
The vote further escalated an already heated feud between the country's anti-Assad opposition, led by ex-premier Saad Hariri, and Mikati's government, which is standing by the embattled Syrian leader.
Tripoli has regularly been the scene of clashes between Sunnis and minority Alawite Muslims, who are loyal to the fellow Alawite Assad family.
Assad's troops have cracked down on protests against the regime in Syria, killing more than 3,500 people in eight months and triggering a torrent of international condemnation.
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