Lebanon Clashes: Syria Divide And Sectarian Violence Rock Tripoli

TRIPOLI, Lebanon -- Sectarian violence linked to the unrest in neighboring Syria shook the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Sunday, with street clashes killing one soldier and two civilians, the state news agency said.

The fighting highlights how easily trouble in Syria can raise tensions in neighboring Lebanon, with which it shares a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries.

Residents said running gunbattles broke out in the city Saturday and continued through the night primarily between a neighborhood populated by Sunni Muslims opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad and another area with many Assad backers from his Alawite sect.

Lebanon's national news agency NNA said one soldier was shot dead by a sniper in the city early Sunday. Another man was found dead on the side of a road while a third died after a shell landed in a residential neighborhood.

An Associated Press reporter in Tripoli said the Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the city, but that intermittent clashes continued Sunday with gunmen shooting at each other with automatic rifles. Heavier weapons, like rocket-propelled grenades, have also been fired.

At one point, the Lebanese army shot at group of men in a street, some of them armed, wounding two men. Residents rushed then to a hospital. One had been shot in the chest and appeared seriously wounded.

Similar clashes in the area in February killed two people.

The 14-month-old conflict in Syria has exacerbated sectarian and political tensions in Lebanon, and many fear Syria's chaos will eventually spill across the border.

Lebanon is sharply split along sectarian lines, with 18 religious sects. But it also has a fragile political fault line precisely over the issue of Syria.

An array of pro-Syrian parties support Assad's regime, as do many Lebanese citizens. Others oppose Assad and accuse Damascus of heavy-handed meddling in Lebanese politics.

The two sides are the legacy of, and backlash against, Syria's virtual rule over Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and its continued influence since.

Comments

[just a voice here]

10:22 AM on 05/15/2012

The Religion that proclaims to be the Religion of Peace is out killing each other again.

[altheschrod]

12:23 PM on 05/14/2012

I remember Danny Thomas visiting his home country, and it was peaceful then. All the religions got along fine--I wonder if that can ever happen again?

[James L Hunter]

12:28 AM on 05/14/2012

The world would be so much happier if people would all put this godfella business off to one side.
politics is divisive enough and corrupted enough by the needs of individuals and the manipulations by big business .

[largogan]

12:18 AM on 05/14/2012

Israel is the cause of violence in the mideast, if there was no Israel the mideast would be violence free.

[Jack Kalpakian]

04:43 AM on 05/14/2012

Israel did not exist in 1860 when Lebanon went collectively mad and engaged in civil war -- get your facts than babble away.

[beautyandblack]

05:47 AM on 05/14/2012

You are 100% correct. Israel is the root cause of all the problems in the world, because the FM was a US listed terrorist, The Defense Minister is an indicted genocide criminal and the PM is an indicted Assassin. Israel's Mossad is the hero of all assassination in the world overtly or covertly.

How can the world remain in peace amidst all these criminals in one state. the funniest is no super power has the gut to say a word to it to disarming the nukes it holds to kill the community of nations but they are super power. thanks for your bold comment.

[anton123]

12:27 PM on 05/14/2012

Don't like Israel much a- ah? ;-)
Israel was out of Lebanon for more than 10 years.
So it's time they start take responsibility for their own actions their.
And time for people like you to stop blaming Israel and Jews in all world's problems.

[Anybodyseenthepopos]

12:08 AM on 05/14/2012

Oh boy, here we go again....

[Jan Harper]

09:47 PM on 05/13/2012

The FDA must smell Christians in Lebanon.

[Micheal Frisbie]

09:02 PM on 05/13/2012

Violence Erupts In Lebanon - again?

[keezze]

08:43 PM on 05/13/2012

Since 11.000 syrians were murdered by asads orders it seems that Asad will have to pay with his life, and the billions or trillions of state treasure returned to the people. Now Lebanon and other countries that are backing Asad will also taste the rath of revenge for backing a tyrant. Im thankful the palistinians are out of this fight as they have their hands full trying to come to terms with Israel and find a compromise and pease.

[Finn43]

05:42 PM on 05/13/2012

There's a link on Drudge to the Weekly Standard where Leon "Frequent Flyer" Panetta is saying AlSeeEyeADuh is in Syria. How many times are you going to trot that canard out Leon? You can fool some of the sheeple some of the time, but hopefully enough are waking up to the reality of endless proxy wars without borders and the fact that someone is bankrolling the foreign insurgents who are prosecuting this war in Syria just as they did in Libya.

http://www.globalresearch.ca has a decidedly uncontrolled, non-corporate slant on world events.

[shewolf2002]

01:06 PM on 05/14/2012

Interesting site. I noticed with interest that the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal has unanimously convicted George W. Bush and his minions of war crimes. Too bad it's just a symbolic tribunal...

[ahrcshaw]

04:22 PM on 05/13/2012

Of all people do not send in the UN! How about Russia, or China, maybe Iran they all seem to want Caos! Sad commentary in deed, until all these so called religions are gone there will be no peace! Wait until the sheites get involved and Hesbela! Iran is loving it! I wonder who the US will side with? It would be nice if we learned a lesson in Iraq, Afganistan, that you have to let the people no matter how stupid they are settle their own problems and issolate it as much as posssible.

[tallen]

04:21 PM on 05/13/2012

And the 'arab spring' rolls on.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah supports Assad's mass slaughter and along with Iran, will do all it can to prevent the Assad regime from falling.

[Weeklong Zero]

04:23 AM on 05/14/2012

The greatest irony about you tallen is this:

You always state how much more advance and civilized Israel compared to its Arab neighbors. And how if only the Arab's began clamoring for democracy and freedom would there be peace.

And when they finally do you always try to find new ways of delegitimizing them and bringing them down.

You are a hypocrite and a hate monger. At least I don't apply my criticism of the Israeli government to the people as a whole.

[anton123]

12:34 PM on 05/14/2012

What exactly were you trying to say? Besides of insulting tallen personally?
I cannot find any other message in your post.
What wrong with what tallen said? Indeed Hezbollah is sponsored by Iran and the only other Shia power in ME that together with Iran support Bassar's massacres.
And since Israel left Lebanon more than 10 years ago, there is no reason whatsoever for Hezbollah to continue to be the strongest military power (even stronger than Lebanon army) in Lebanon. Hezbollah continue to be one of the most destabilizing powers in ME.
Now try to address this with more slogans...;-)

[tallen]

01:14 PM on 05/14/2012

>>You always state how much more advance and civilized Israel compared to its Arab neighbors. And how if only the Arab's began clamoring for democracy and freedom would there be peace.

You create your own version of what I say consistently.
That is that the arab world must undergo a religious reformation before there will be any real freedom and democracy in the arab world.
If the the arab/muslim world ended its intolerance of non muslims much of the world's violence would end.

"Democracy" is not merely voting--not by western standards. It also includes freedoms that the arab spring still wants to repress. Freedom of speech, expression, religion, gender equality, etc..
Without those freedoms there is no real democracy.

[cul8rsb]

03:02 PM on 05/13/2012

Do not let them run out of ammo or guns they need to keep doing what they do best, killing each other.

[ahrcshaw]

04:30 PM on 05/13/2012

The only problem with your suggestion is that they will eventually blame Israel and the US for their problems and use them on us!

[anton123]

12:35 PM on 05/14/2012

Absolutely, This is how things always played in ME...Unfortunately.

[lawa]

02:53 PM on 05/13/2012

i was called naive because i posited that one action by one country can trigger reactions in another country. foreign affairs is complex in america alone the state dept, cia, pentagon and commerce have various plans on the table i would not want to have the knowledge that burdens any president. for all anyone knows there maybe a covert ops planning to kill assad, it appears the world is sitting on its hands. but who really knows? happy mothers day to those with loved ones serving and sacrificing in combat.

[southrange]

02:20 PM on 05/13/2012

A destabilized (its already fragile) Lebanon would play into Assad's hands. Attention could shift to Lebanon and since Assad is seen as a stabilizing force (part of why he's not gone yet) fighting in Lebanon might take some pressure off Assad. You have to wonder if he is quietly making this happen.

[psridgell]

02:17 PM on 05/13/2012

Wow ! If the UN doesn't do something soon, Syria/Lebanon could get as bad as Mexico !

[vtmilitia]

05:24 PM on 05/13/2012

The UN is doing something! They want the gov't. to give Mt. Rushmore back to the indians.