The death toll from heavy armed clashes between government supporters and opponents in northern Lebanon rose to six on Monday, local Naharnet news website reported.
A mortar shell fell in the heart of the northern city of Tripoli, hitting the Grand Mansouri Mosque, and several shops and homes were also damaged in the fighting, the report said.
Intensified meetings between the feuding factions lasted well into Sunday night at the residence of Tripoli's Sunni Mufti Sheikh Malek al-Shaar, but failed to put an end to the fighting, it added.
Shaar called on the security forces to deploy in the embattled districts in force and respond firmly to any security violation.
The fierce fighting erupted around 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT)Sunday, two hours after unidentified assailants in the Baal Mohsen,a predominantly Alawite district loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition, hurled hand grenades at Bab al-Tabbaneh, a mainly Sunni Muslim community that backs pro-government MP Saad Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement, said the report.
Earlier reports said the clashes left at least 44 others injured, most of them caught in the crossfire, or hit by sniping fire.
Mortars, rocket-propelled grenades launchers and automatic rifles were used in the confrontation, according to police.
Similar clashed erupted in various regions of the country in May when at least 70 people were killed and over 200 others wounded.
Under the aegis of the Arab League, the Western-backed ruling majority and the opposition reached an agreement in Doha on May 21,ending a 18-month-long political deadlock which has pushed Lebanon to the brink of a civil war.
The first phase of the agreement led to the election of army chief Michel Suleiman as the new president on May 25 after six months of a presidential vacuum.
The second step is to form a national unity government giving the opposition the long-awaited veto power, but creation of the cabinet has been delayed by disagreement over key portfolios since late May.
Source:Xinhua
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