Six killed as clashes erupt in northern Lebanon

Opponents and supporters of Assad fight each other in Tripoli

By AP 24 October 2013, 2:36 pm

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A Sunni gunman takes aim during clashes that erupted on Syria Street, which divides the areas between Sunnis and Alawites, in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, June 2013 (photo credit: AP)

BEIRUT — Lebanese security officials say at least six people have been killed and 50 wounded in fighting in the northern city of Tripoli over the past four days.

The officials said Thursday the clashes are between two Tripoli neighborhoods that are home to opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The fighting broke out on Monday.

The Bab Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni Muslim, like Syria’s rebels. The other neighborhood, Jabal Mohsen, has mostly residents of Assad’s Alawite sect, a Shiite Islam offshoot.

The neighborhoods have been at odds for decades, but the fighting between them has intensified since the start of the Syrian conflict in a sign of how the civil war next door has spilled into Lebanon.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.