The sectarian Syrian Civil War continues to spill over into its neighbors today, with reports of major clashes in the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli between backers of Syria’s regime and rebels.
The gun-battle, which ironically enough took place on Syria Street, saw Sunni gunmen from a neighborhood that has recently seen fighters flocking to Syria to join the rebellion, squaring off against the town’s Alawite minority, the same sect that Syrian President Bashar Assad belongs to.
The Lebanese military sought to cut off access to the city, hoping to prevent the situation from escalating further. The latest round of fighting left at least two dead and a dozen more wounded.
Lebanon has its own history of sectarian tensions, particularly as relates to the ruling Hezbollah party and the Sunni-dominated opposition. Virtually all violence along sectarian lines, however, has been in the north, and related to Syria.