At least four people were hurt Friday when clashes erupted between Sunnis and Alawites at a protest against Syria's regime in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, a security official said.
The unrest broke out in the coastal city's sensitive Bab Al-Tebbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighborhoods where Sunni Muslims and Alawites -- an offshoot of Shiite Islam -- have often clashed.
The army immediately deployed heavily in the area to prevent an escalation.
Earlier, some 600 people had gathered in Tripoli for a protest against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is facing an unprecedented revolt against his 11-year rule.
Tripoli has in recent years been the scene of intense clashes between Sunni supporters of Lebanon's current pro-Western opposition alliance and Alawite Muslims loyal to a Hezbollah-led coalition backed by Iran and Syria.
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