Syrian rivals clash in Lebanon, three shot dead

Zee Media Bureau Beirut: At least three people were killed in northern Lebanon on Saturday in the clashes between the supporters and opponents of the Syrian government. The exchange of fire between neighbourhoods which support rival sides in Syria left several children stuck in their classrooms due to heavy gunfire. Later, Lebanese soldiers evacuated the Luqman School on the edge of Tripoli. The guard of a Sunni mosque, a 16-year-old youth and a woman were among the three killed in the clashes. Dozens of people, including two soldiers, were wounded in the exchange of fire between gunmen in Bab al-Tabbaneh and the adjacent Alawite neighbourhood of Jebel Mohsen. The Bab Tabbaneh district is largely Sunni Muslim. To find a way to end the violence which is growing in the region, Lebanon`s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikatiheld held talks with the interior minister and other security officials in the Mediterranean city.