Sectarian violence in northern Lebanon leaves 8 dead

Sunni Muslims, Alawite supporters of Bashar Assad battle in Tripoli, injuring at least 60

By AP 1 December 2013, 4:54 pm 0 Edit

An illustrative photo of a Sunni gunman firing his weapon during clashes that erupted between pro and anti-Syrian regime gunmen in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon in December 2012. (photo credit: AP/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state news agency says clashes between supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad and opponents killed eight people in the northern city of Tripoli over the weekend.

The NNA said Sunday that 60 people were wounded.

Sectarian clashes linked to the war in neighboring Syria often flare between two impoverished rival neighborhoods in the rundown coastal city. The Bab Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni Muslim, as are most of the Syrian rebels fighting Assad’s rule. Residents of Jabal Mohsen are mostly of Assad’s Alawite sect.

Tripoli is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim but the fighting rarely spreads beyond the two neighborhoods.

Fighting began Saturday after Sunni gunmen shot a man whose brother controls an Alawite militia, sparking gun battles that trapped children in schools and forced traders to flee their shops.