A conflict between Lebanese and Syrian individuals in north Lebanon escalated into an all-out brutal attack against an entire Syrian refugee camp on Saturday night.
According to the National News Agency, Lebanese youth set fire to some refugee tents following an altercation between a Lebanese family and Syrian workers.
Other local reports detail that the issue began with a dispute during a football (soccer) match in Tebbeneh, a northern suburb in Tripoli, in which a Syrian man reportedly injured two Lebanese brothers from the El-Mir family.
According to witness reports, the Syrian man was in possession of a sharp object with which he attacked the brothers, leaving them with several injuries in their arms/hands.
Later that evening, a group of Lebanese people from the El-Mir family and a group of Syrians engaged in a gunfight that left two people injured.
This altercation quickly escalated to a blown-out response attack by the Lebanese side. They set fire to a Syrian camp in Miniyeh, an area north of Tripoli that is part of the Miniyeh-Danniyeh District.
Due to the fire, many blasts were heard after gas canisters inside the tents exploded. This horrific attack, which originated between mere individuals playing soccer, resulted in the displacement of hundreds of innocent Syrian refugees.
The army was able to detain the Syrian who attacked the two brothers and restore calm to the area.
Last month, another terrible act by a Syrian individual in Bcharre resulted in a hostile response towards hundreds of refugees. At the time, at least 270 Syrian families fled Bcharre and sought refuge in Tripoli.
