Factional Fighting in Northern Lebanon Kills 4 People

Lebanese officials say fighting between government supporters and opponents in Lebanon's second-largest city has killed four people, including a policeman.

Another 30 people were wounded Sunday in the northern city of Tripoli as rival factions battled each other with machine guns and rockets.

The battles involved Sunni Muslim fighters who support the Lebanese government and Alawite militiamen loyal to the Hezbollah-led opposition.

The fighting began at dawn and eased briefly when local leaders met in Tripoli and urged the Lebanese army to take charge of the city. But, officials say the battles resumed after sunset.

In another development, a bomb blast in southern Lebanon seriously wounded a senior member of a militant group linked to al-Qaida.

Officials say the bomb was placed in a trash can in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh. The blast wounded three people, including Imad Yassin, a leader of the Islamist militant group Jund al-Sham.

Tensions between Lebanon's rival factions have been growing in recent weeks as their political leaders struggle to form a new Cabinet under the terms of an Arab-brokered deal signed in May.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.