Lebanese soldiers patrolled the streets of a Beirut neighborhood Wednesday, a day after three people were killed in clashes between rival Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.
Broken glass and spent bullet casings littered the streets of Bourj Abi Haidar following violence that started as a fight between two men.
Officials say a confrontation between a supporter of the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah and another man from the conservative Sunni Muslim group al-Ahbash escalated into a four-hour shootout.
The two groups later issued a joint statement saying the flare-up was a one-time incident resulting from a "personal dispute" and was not political.
Participants fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades before Lebanese soldiers intervened and cordoned off the area. Officials say three people were wounded in the clashes, and that two of the dead have been identified as Mohammad Fawaz, a Hezbollah security official, and his aide.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
