Syria’s deadly violence spills over to neighbour

Fierce gunbattles between supporters and opponents of Syria’s President Assad have erupted in neighbouring Lebanon leaving at least seven people dead and 30 wounded.

The fighting is raging in the port city of Tripoli between gunmen from Assad’s Alawite sect of Shi’ite Islam, and Sunni Muslims from a district nearby.

Lebanese troops have moved into the area to try to quell the violence.

The international peace envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan expressed his fears of a wider regional conflict if the killings in Syria continue.

“The crisis is having a regional spill-over in the form of tensions and incidents across borders,” he told an Arab League meeting on Syria, held in Doha. “I felt the concerns of Syria’s immediate neighbours very acutely in my consultations in recent days.”

The US State Department has released satellite images it says shows the site of a mass grave and heavy military equipment deployed near civilian areas in Syria. A spokesman claimed attack helicopters were stationed near Shayrat and Homs.

There is supposed to be a ceasefire in force in Syria, brokered by Kofi Annan.
The latest pictures to be posted on the internet purport to show anti-Assad protesters coming under fire from government troops. The regime and its allies have blamed rebels for the violence.

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