Fighting flares in northern Lebanon

Heavy fighting has broken out between pro and anti-government supporters in northern Lebanon as sporadic clashes have also taken place in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Security officials say that heavy fighting has broken out between pro and anti-government supporters in northern Lebanon. Sporadic clashes have also taken place in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

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The heaviest clashes have happened in the northern city of Tripoli where pro-government supporters in the Tebaneh neighborhood have fired rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine guns at opposition followers in Jabal Muhsin, the officials say. The fighting intensified in the early hours of Sunday but the situation calmed down later as Lebanese troops began deploying between the two sides.

The situation has been calm in the capital overnight but many major roads, including the one leading to Beirut's international airport, is still closed with sand barriers. The roads closure is part of the opposition's "civil disobedience" campaign which it said will continue until its demands are met.