News
Gunbattle in Beirut amid fears of Syria spillover
Posted: May 20, 2012 11:27 PM by Jacqui Heinrich
BEIRUT (AP) - A gunbattle has erupted in Beirut as fears mounted that the conflict in neighboring Syria is bleeding across the border.
Lebanon's National News Agency says six people were wounded in the clashes that erupted late Sunday and continued early Monday.
The fighting comes hours after Lebanese soldiers fatally shot an anti-Syrian cleric and his bodyguard when they failed to stop at a checkpoint. The Lebanese army said it deeply regretted the incident and that a committee will investigate.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene says the clashes involve pro- and anti-Syrian groups. Gunmen are roaming the streets and several roads are blocked.
Last week, clashes sparked by the Syrian crisis killed at least eight people in the northern city of Tripoli.
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