(28 Jul 2012) STORYLINE
At least eight people were reportedly wounded in clashes overnight Friday to Saturday morning between Sunni gunmen in Bab al-Tabbaneh and their Alawite rivals in the Jabal Mohsen neighbourhood in Tripoli North of Lebanon.
The Lebanese Army mounted patrols in the area and fired warning shots in an attempt to separate the combatants.
Jabal Mohsen and Bab al-Tabbaneh have witnessed recurring clashes in the past months over divisions in their support for the 16-month uprising in Syria.
Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which are easily enflamed.
The revolt in Syria began 14 months ago, and there are fears the unrest could lead to a regional conflagration that could draw in neighbouring countries.
Syria is overwhelmingly Sunni, but the country's President Bashar Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect.
The uprising has exacerbated Sunni-Alawite tensions in Lebanon, as well as sparking the clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
Tripoli's Bab al-Tabbaneh neighbourhood is overwhelmingly Sunni and posters supporting the Syrian opposition hang on walls.
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