Internecine clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli Saturday claimed the lives of eight people so far in two days of fighting between rival Sunni and Hizbullah-linked Alawite factions. The Alawite sect is a small offshoot of Shi'ite Islam associated with Syria. President Bashar Assad is an Alawite Muslim.
At least 65 people have been injured, according to medical sources quoted by the Reuters news agency. Many residents of the primarily Sunni city have fled, said local sources.