Shiites and Sunnis clash in Beirut, two dead

Supporters of Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah clashed on Tuesday with partisans At least two person was killed and two others wounded in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday in clashes between supporters of Shiite group Hezbollah and a Sunni faction, security sources said.

They said the clashes were sparked by a fight between a supporter of Hezbollah and another from the Sunni al-Ahbash faction in the mixed neighborhood of Burj Abi Haidar in Beirut.

The officials said Mohammed Fawaz, a Hezbollah official from the area, and Fawaz Omeirat, of Al-Ahbash group, were killed in the fighting.

"When the news came out that the wounded Hezbollah supporter died in hospital, people went to the streets and now there is a lot of tension," the source said.

Other sources confirmed the news, adding the Lebanese army had been deployed in the streets of Burj Abi Haidar.

Witnesses said rocket propelled grenades were fired, but it was not clear which side fired them.

Shiite Hezbollah, Lebanon's most powerful political and military force, is backed by Syria and Iran.

Sunni group Al-Ahbash is also pro-Syrian and describes itself as a charitable organization promoting Islamic culture.

Al-Ahbash first came to light in 1983 and gathered strength during the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, which ended under international pressure following the 2005 murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

Members of the Shiite Amal movement, which is headed by parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, briefly joined the fight on Hezbollah's side, an Amal partisan told AFP.

The fighting took place as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah addressed an all-women iftar, the meal which ends the daily dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.