Battles as Syrian crisis spills into Lebanon

Some residents in Beirut kept their children off school following the fighting, which was among the worst the Lebanese capital has seen in four years.

Gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns in battles that lasted more than four hours.

The streets were calmer later, but some shops remained closed.

The violence in the predominantly Sunni neighbourhood of Tariq Jadidah erupted hours after an anti-Syrian cleric and his bodyguard were shot dead at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon, an incident that instantly increased tensions.

Authorities were braced for the possibility of more violence in the north, where Sunni cleric Sheik Ahmed Abdul-Wahid and his bodyguard were to be buried.

Gunmen carrying automatic rifles shouted for the downfall of the Syrian regime in the cleric’s home town of Beireh, where his funeral was to take place.

The fighting underlines how the bloodshed in Syria, where President Bashar Assad’s regime is cracking down on an uprising against his rule, can fuel violence across the border in Lebanon, a country with a fragile political faultline.

There is an array of die-hard pro-Syrian Lebanese parties and politicians, as well as support for the regime on street level. There is an equally deep hatred of Assad among other Lebanese who fear Damascus is still calling the shots in their country. The two sides are the legacy of Syria’s virtual rule over Lebanon from 1976 to 2005 and its continued influence since.

Lebanon and Syria share a complex web of political and sectarian ties and rivalries, which can easily turn violent. 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 neighbouring countries.