Syria Violence Spills Into Lebanon

Fighting over neighboring Syria's troubles is something of a Lebanese hobby

Clashes between opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad left two people dead Monday night in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.

At least 36 other people were injured when residents from rival neighborhoods exchanged gunfire as tensions over the neighboring Syrian conflict continue to spill over into Lebanon, the official National News Agency reported.

The gun battles are part of long-standing sectarian divisions between two neighborhoods -- Bab al-Tabbaneh, a largely Sunni Muslim area where anti-Assad sentiment is strong, and the adjascent Jabal Mohsen district, an Alawite and pro-Assad stronghold. It was not the first time that Syrian-linked fighting has raged between the two neighborhoods.