Two killed in Lebanon’s Tripoli clashesTwo killed in Lebanon’s Tripoli clashes

At least two people have been killed in fresh clashes between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government in the Lebanese city of Tripoli.

The clashes between armed men from the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tibbaneh and Jabal Mohsen erupted on Friday.

The Bab al-Tibbaneh residents support foreign-backed militants operating against the Syrian government, while the inhabitants of neighboring Jabal Mohsen are loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad.

Last week, at least 10 people were killed in three days of similar fighting between the two sides. Some 50 people were also wounded in the violence.

Many people have been killed in the Lebanese city since the outbreak of turmoil in Syria in March 2011. The Lebanese army has on many occasions intervened to calm the situation in Tripoli.

Last month, two people were killed and nearly a dozen others injured in clashes that followed the assassination of Abdel-Rahman Diab – a senior official in Lebanon’s Arab Democratic Party who supported President Assad.

Ten people were also killed in January, including a Lebanese army soldier, during five days of clashes between the two sides in the city.

Lebanon has also been suffering terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda-linked militant groups, as well as random rocket attacks, which are viewed as a spillover of violence from neighboring Syria.