Wanted terrorists Shadi al-Mawlawi and Osama Mansour have been injured in the latest battles with the Lebanese army in the northern city of Tripoli and are hiding among civilians, security officials said.
The officials, who were not identified, told Ad-Diyar newspaper on Monday that al-Mawlawi and Mansour are being guarded by some gunmen in a civilian neighborhood and that any military operation to capture them would inflict dozens of casualties.
The army is avoiding such a scenario because it is keen on the well-being of Tripoli residents, the sources said.
But they stressed that both militants have been militarily and organizationally disabled similar to Salafist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir, who went into hiding following deadly clashes between his supporters and the army near the southern city of Sidon in June last year.
Al-Mawlawi and Mansour have been charged with belonging to an armed terrorist group in order to stage terrorist acts, and holing up at a Tripoli mosque with the aim of preparing bombs and explosive devices to target Lebanese troops in the area.