4 Lebanese soldiers killed in clashes over Syrian war

Sunni and Shiite groups open fire in southern coastal city of Sidon

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese security official said clashes have erupted in the south between Lebanese factions supporting opposing sides in the Syrian civil war. Four Lebanese soldiers were killed.

It’s the latest spillover from the civil war next door.

The official says supporters of a radical Sunni cleric and Hezbollah gunmen fired machine guns and rocket propelled grenades in fighting that broke out Sunday in Sidon, a port city in southern Lebanon.

Four soldiers were killed and a few others were wounded, the official said. He spoke anonymously in line with regulations.

The fighting began when followers of Sheik Ahmad al-Assir opened fire at an army checkpoint. Al-Assir is a critic of Hezbollah, which is fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar Assad’s army. Al-Assir’s followers support Sunni rebels fighting to topple Assad’s regime.