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A few blocks away, policemen, soldiers, and a crowd of onlookersgathered around the bullet-scarred and fire-blackened entrance of aseven-story building, where rival Sunni factions had clashed. Asmall group headed by Shaker Berjawi, allied with the Shiite Hezbollah organization, was besieged by supporters of former Prime MinisterSaad Hariri's Future Movement, the leading Sunni politicalorganization in Lebanon. Three were killed and 10 wounded beforethe Army moved in and rescued Mr. Berjawi and his followers. There were many men with weapons and they came into our buildingand broke into our apartments so they could fire at Berjawi s men.It was very frightening, said a young female schoolteacher wholived opposite Berjawi's offices. Those interviewed in the areadeclined to give their names, underlining the sense of nervousnessthat has gripped the area. Rising instability along Syria -Lebanon border Even before yesterday's clashes, north Lebanon has seen a breakdownof stability as a result of the upheaval in Syria seeping acrossthe border. For the past week, there have been intermittent gunbattles that left 10 dead and dozens wounded in Tripoli , Lebanon s second-largest city, between Sunnis living in the BabTebbaneh quarter and a small community of Alawites in the adjacentJabal Mohsen district. The Alawite sect is an obscure offshoot ofthe Shiite faith whose adherents form the backbone of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 's regime. Furthermore, in recent weeks, Lebanon s northern border with Syriahas witnessed a spate of shootings, kidnappings of Lebanese andSyrians and brief military incursions allegedly by Syrian troops.On the night of May 19, one Syrian was killed and two otherswounded as they tried to cross the border from Lebanon to return totheir homes in Syria. Most Sunnis in north Lebanon back the predominantly Sunniopposition in Syria, while Hezbollah and most of Lebanon s Shiitecommunity side with the Assad regime. Some Sunnis are activelyassisting the Syrian opposition. One Future Movement activistclaimed that as many as 300 Sunnis from the Bekaa Valley in east Lebanon are directly helping the opposition by providinglogistical support or even serving as armed combatants. The Lebanese government follows a policy of noninterference in theSyria crisis, but many Sunnis believe that the Lebanese securityforces are cooperating with the Assad regime to crackdown on anyoneproviding support for the Syrian opposition. The army has taken the side of the Alawites. The officers are allShiites, says Sheikh Bilal al-Masri, a Sunni cleric from Tripoliwho follows the austere Salafi branch of the faith and fought inlast week s clashes in Tripoli against Alawite gunmen. Growing anger with the Army. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Helium Zeppelin , China Political Advertising Balloon for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Inflatable Helium Balloon.
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