Seven people have been killed and more than 70 wounded after fighting in northern Lebanon between two Muslim communities divided over Syria. Street battles between Sunnis and Alawites in the city of Tripoli continued for a second night running. Old rivalry between the two groups has been fuelled by conflicting loyalties in the conflict across the border. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, is battling largely Sunni opposition fighters. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, himself a Sunni, appealed to both sides to end the ‘absurd battle’ rocking Tripoli, a city of nearly 200,000 people and the country's second-largest. ‘We have repeatedly warned against being drawn into this blaze that has spread around Lebanon,’ he said, speaking of the violence in Syria. He urged Tripoli residents ‘not to allow anyone to transform you into ammunition for someone else's war’.
Pray: against further spread of this conflict. Seek God’s solution and peace for all people. (Pr.29:22)