Syria-linked clashes kill at least eight in Lebanon

Sunni Muslim gunmen roam the streets and block roads with burning tires, expressing their solidarity with Salafist leader Ahmad al-Assir in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, June 23, 2013. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim

BEIRUT (Reuters) - At least eight people were killed in fierce clashes in the Lebanese city of Sidon on Sunday between the army and followers of a Sunni Muslim cleric who have been caught up in sectarian fighting fuelled by the war in neighbouring Syria.

Guns and rocket fire rattled the port city 40 km (28 miles) south of Beirut that has been on edge since violence erupted there last week between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim fighters, at odds over the Syrian conflict.