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Bilal Hussein / AP
Anti-Syrian gunmen seek cover during deadly overnight clashes in Beirut, Lebanon, early on Monday.
BEIRUT -- Gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns early Monday in intense street battles in the Lebanese capital, killing at least two people and wounding 18 others as fears mounted that the conflict in neighboring Syria was bleeding across the border.
The clashes in Beirut's Tariq al-Jadideh district were some of the fiercest since sectarian fighting four years ago brought Lebanon back to the brink of civil war.
Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which are easily inflamed. Last week, clashes sparked by the Syrian crisis killed at least eight people and wounded dozens in the northern city of Tripoli.
The revolt in Syria began 15 months ago, and there are fears the unrest will lead to a regional conflagration that could draw in neighboring countries. The U.N. estimates the conflict has killed more than 9,000 people since March 2011.
The violence in Beirut followed the killing of two members of a political alliance opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday in the north of the country.
Residents in the northern region of Akkar blocked roads and burned tires to protest against the killing and demonstrations spread south to the main coastal highway and to Beirut, where several roads were cut off.
Report: Car bomb kills 9, wounds 100 in Syria
A Reuters cameraman in Tariq al-Jadideh said shooting could be heard for almost seven hours overnight.
A roadside bomb exploded in Douma, Syria this weekend near a United Nations convoy carrying the head of a Syria ceasefire monitoring mission and a senior U.N. Official. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
Security sources said the fighting pitted gunmen from the Future Movement, loyal to anti-Syrian former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, against the pro-Syrian Arab Movement Party headed by Shaker Barjawi.
The state news agency said two people were killed and 18 wounded.
Fragile political faultline
The fighting underscores how the bloodshed in Syria, where Assad's regime is cracking down on an uprising against his rule, is inflaming emotions in its tiny neighbor Lebanon. Lebanon has a fragile political faultline precisely over the issue of Syria.
There is an array of die-hard pro-Syrian Lebanese parties and politicians, as well as support for the regime on the street level. There is an equally deep hatred of Assad among other Lebanese who fear Damascus is still calling the shots here. The two sides are the legacy of Syria's virtual rule over Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and its continued influence since.
Inside Syrian rebel stronghold: 'The city is on mute'
The fighting was the among the most intense fighting in Beirut since May 2008, when gunmen from the Shiite Hezbollah militant group swept through Sunni neighborhoods after the pro-Western government tried to dismantle the group's telecommunications network.
More than 80 people were killed in the 2008 violence, pushing the country to the brink of civil war.
There was no sign that Hezbollah was involved in the latest violence.
'Critical period'
Many of Lebanon's Sunni Muslims sympathize with Syria's Sunni-led uprising against Assad, whose father sent forces into Lebanon during its 1975-1990 civil war. The Syrian army finally pulled out in 2005 under international pressure.
A message to Assad? War games held near Syrian border
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday: "The government is determined to continue to shoulder its national responsibilities amid this critical period in Lebanon and the region, and it will take all measures necessary to preserve civil peace."
World powers remain divided on how to end Syria's crisis. The U.S. and other Western and Arab nations have called for Assad to leave power, and the U.S. and European Union have placed increasingly stiff sanctions on Damascus. But with Russia and China blocking significant new U.N. punishments, U.S. officials are trying to get consensus among other allies about ways to promote Assad's ouster.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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If any rulers have to be ousted in ME, then seventh century autocratic, highly corrupt, despotic and bigoted Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia with 5000 princes and princes, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations qualify most.
They invented Iraqi wars and manipulated high oil prices. They are responsible for the economic mess in the US, Europe (PIIGS) and other oil importing nations.
These very gangsters are setting their agents in the US, Britain, and some G8 nations for sanctions on Iranian oil and inventing rebellion for the ouster of one of the best ME rulers, Assad.
"May 2008, when gunmen from the Shiite Hezbollah militant group swept through Sunni neighborhoods"
All the Shiites should join and erase Saudi Arabia from the map first and eliminate their barbaric and beastly Islamic Nazis like al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood and others.
This will be a great service for world peace.
Hahahaa stupid shiite(sh@tte) get a life.
Jonathan, you're confused about who is to blame in this conflict. It's Israel. Israel created the division of Muslims into Sunni versus Shiites/Alawites. Israel is fomenting the Sunni rebellion in Syria. Israel is importing the violence into Lebanon. Israel is sending weapons to Assad. Israel is coordinating the Arab-on-Arab violence. I just figured that I would write this before some a-hole Israel hater decided to write his own brand of insanity. The fact is, Arabs have more to fear from their fellow Arabs and Muslims from their fellow Muslims than they do from Israel. Muslims are happy only when they are killing people, Arabs, Jews or Christians. It doean't matter. The violence in Arab countries is not news.
How about every country mind their own business and stop throwing money around in an already improvished country, due to long years of civil war caused by the same reasons.
People are dying for no reason other than they have to make a living by accepting monthly salaries from sectarian leaders that have sold their souls to other countries... and throw these poor creatures into battle to fight and die for their personal gains.
The majority of Lebanese people are sick and tired of this... 80% are living outside their country for this reason.
The absolute minority, represented in every sect of the 18 sects in Lebanon have been making life unbearable for the rest.
Nobody wants war anymore if Iran has issues with SA, let them deal with each other on their own soil, not Lebanon's.
These "rebels" that the Obama administration and some other western nations are so quick to support are nothing more than Islamic fanatics who want power for themselves. The last thing on their mind is turning Syria into a free democratic state. They want to get rid of Assad, who is for the most part a secular ruler, so that they can replace his government with an Islamic republic. Most of the trouble in Syria is being instigated by outside agitators who are carrying out many of the attacks themselves and trying to stir up the locals against Assad with their propaganda. Instead of supporting these "rebels" the administration should be helping Assad to keep these outside agitators out of the country. As bad as Assad is, he is still a better option than letting any of the "rebel" factions get control. These so called rebels are nothing more than different Islamic sects who want power for themselves. Assad is a fairly secular ruler and allow people in Syria to pretty much worship as they choose. The same will not be true if any of these other "rebel" sects get control. The reality is that much of the unrest in Syria is being caused by outside agitators who are stirring up the Syrian people in order to achieve their own ends. Those ends are the rise to power of their particular sect and the implementation of an Islamic Republic form of government under their view of Islam. These agitators are now trying to stir up violence in neighboring Lebanon in the hopes that this will help convince the western nations to step in and help them take control from Assad. It is nothing more than another tactic to get what they want by fomenting fear and instability. I just hope that the Obama administration and the rest of the western nations wake up and realize what is really going on before they do something stupid and hand Syria over to these fanatics. The best bet for Syria is not to see a complete fall of the Assad regime but for there to be an orderly transfer of power to someone else who shares Assad's secular leanings and will institute social reforms to improve people's lives. Having an open election where the Islamists can manipulate the people and the elections in order to gain control the way they are doing in Egypt would not be a good thing.
HONESTJ: I know about the roles Israel plays.
However, one has to be careful on Israel as in the US, Israel Jewish lobby plays a major role in decision making, media, banking and other places.
The problem is with Islamic religious extremism. Instead of reforming with times, followers of Islam have been going backwards!
Religious madness have no limits and history has seen them. More extremism means faster and worst crashes!
I have problem with US, Britain and European nations deciding the winners in the battles between Shiites and Sunnis.
If Saddam was there, the problems would have been less even in ME and we would not be in the economic mess we are in.
As many wrote: US and allies hands are being tied from all around.
Sanctions on Iranian oil and oil price manipulations higher will hurt more.
cleokl: Get your head checked first!
I'm not shiite, only shiite's (sh@te"s) needs their heads checked.
Its really hard to decide which side to be on in all this, on one hand its terrible to see civilians killed and it would certainly not be a bad thing to see a Russian and Iranian backed leader get ousted. However adding yet another Sunni Islamic state to the Middle East is a possibly dangerous thing, replacing a mostly secular leader with an Islamic Republic could be a large step back.
Not so sure this administration has looked at all the angles, this isn't the cold war anymore and breaking nations away from Russia isn't the top priority anymore. Hope they have learned from the mistakes of the previous administration and have planned an end game for all this, because we may once again be stirring up a hornets nest
cleokl: I am neither one! So you deserve both head and body check ups!
smartest thing i ever read on here
ToryAikman-8: Thanks. Please join the group: no wars for a few years. Let us focus on economic recovery in the US!!!
Wonderful news, keep killing each other you lower than animal Muslim pieces of shi^!
at least arabs dont molest their children, and father kids with their daughters. stupid redneck hillbillies
This is just Islam spreading their version of love from Syria to Lebanon.
Yemen had a busy day too!
I am waiting for the day, when the Saudi ruler and his 5000 princes and princesses palaces are blown up!
There will be no Islamic extremist Salaffi and Wahhabi mosques in our streets!
Jonathan-19--- You got right buddy , the problem is , these Saudis and Qataries paying our politicians , and the corrupt Europeans to arm these thugs , they killing Christians and innocent people in Syria and in Libya and our Hillary and McCain calling them freedom fighters , ALQAEDA is spreading you all with the help of these no good gulf states, and they are convincing us to help , We need to put these people on trail here .
mu turrn: You just watch. US, British, and other European nations' hands are being tied slowly from all sides.
Iraqi wars mess and new oil price manipulations by Iranian sanctions are taking a heavy toll!
Now not much jumping can be done!
I see some people still have high hopes for Arab Spring.
Unfortunately, those who don't learn from history are forced to relive it.
The Arab Spring is the exact repetition of what was happening in Europe in the beginning of 20th century.
Back then, WWI triggered a series of revolutions which got rid of several nomarchs, which seemed like a good thing, but then it replaced them with several Comunist and Nazi dictators.
The west thought it could still work out nicely for them, because comunists and nazis would be fighting each other and not bothering the West.
And yet, the Nazis turned out to be tough and crazy enough to attack in two directions, and the Western leaders found themselves desperate enough to team up with communists against the Nazis.
And as if WWII was not enough fun, it gave USSR enough influence to spread communism thoruhg Asia and abit farther into Europe and set ground for the Cold War.
Well, no the war on terror has triggered a series of revolutions and civil wars which are getting rid of some dictators whom no one will miss, but right before our eyes it is handing power to the Islamist organization who are just as bad if not worce.
Some here are OK with that, because they think that those Islamist organizations will be only fighting each other and not bother the West.
Some think that those organizations will be only fighting Israel and not bother the real West.
No one seems to consider the possibility that some new force might form that will be tough and crazy enough to fight neighbouring states, wage war on Israel and blow up a few things in Europe and USA, all at the same time.
Not even remotely possible, is it?
how is it possible that 3 dictators are ousted in a matter of 12 months? Sadam, Gadahffi, and the others who were thrown out of power during the "Arab Spring". Its all BS. Its pretty obvious that alot of the stupid ppl posting these ignorant comments never finished a year of college. Look at a world map, dipsh*ts. All the countries involved in the "Arab-US-SAUDI-ISRAELI SPRING" surround Iran geographically. Americans are soooo retarded