‘1 killed, 7 wounded in Lebanon clash’

One person has been killed and seven others wounded in a clash between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, a security official has said.

The clash between the rival groups occurred on Thursday in Tripoli’s Old Souk area, AFP reported.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two of the wounded were soldiers, though the identity of the man killed in the exchange of gunfire in the markets of central Tripoli had not been confirmed.

The battle was the latest in a string of Syria-related incidents in the city and came after some three weeks of sectarian fighting in the flashpoint Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tebbaneh neighborhoods, during which around 40 people were killed.

The Army says its units have been deployed on the streets of Tripoli in a bid to restore calm to the city.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.