Supporters and adversaries of Assad again clash in Lebanese city of Tripoli

 (Al-Akhbar)

The Syrian uprising led to renewed tension in the northern Lebanese city Tripoli this weekend.A total of eight people have been killed and at least 20 wounded, an Al-Akhbar correspondent and medical sources said on Monday. Fierce clashes overnight shook the port city and sporadic fighting continued on Monday.  Armed men were roaming Azmi Street in Tripoli on Monday, according to NNA, as gunfire could be heard in the Bab el-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods.

Tripoli, a conservative city with a Sunni majority which is quite upset about Bashar al-Assad's crackdown, also harbours a small Alawite community (the sect to which also Assad and most pillars of his regime belong).The fighting in Tripoli, 70km from Beirut, highlights how sectarian tensions in Syria can ignite conflict in the neighbouring country. Buildings in the area are still riddled with bullet holes from similar clashes earlier in the year.