Background
The Syrian civil war has heightened sectarian tensions within Lebanon, particularly between Sunni and Shia Muslims, many of whom support opposing sides and have entered the conflict in large numbers. Hezbollah leader Hassan NasrallahFighting
On 23 June 2013, heavy street fighting erupted between the Lebanese Army, with Hezbollah military backing,https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21580162-sectarian-rivalry-reverberating-region-making-many-muslims Islam’s old schism: Sunnis v Shias, here and there and gunmen loyal to al-Assir, with a clash at an Army checkpoint near the Abra complex that houses the Bilal bin Rabah Mosque. '' McClatchy News'' and '' The Times of London'' reported that Hezbollah forces backed the army. Roads were later blocked in other parts of the country, and the army came under fire in the Ain el-Hilweh camp. The next day, the Lebanese army launched a crackdown on the pro-Assir militia attacking houses near his mosque in Sidon from which Assir operates. At least four tanks and several army vehicles were destroyed. Lebanese Army commandos seized a complex controlled by gunmen loyal to Sheikh Ahmad Assir. Assir reportedly fled the complex at around 10 a.m., shortly after the Army stormed the premises which the military gradually gained control over throughout the day. Twenty-two bodies were pulled out of Assir's mosque after the Army captured it. Sources said soldiers were still trading gunfire with snipers located on the rooftops of nearby buildings. Ahmed al-Assir was still at large with the Army having orders to capture or kill him after he was accused of killing soldiers in "cold blood". Sixty-five to 70 gunmen, including several non-Lebanese nationals, reportedly either surrendered or were captured by Army units during the raid on the complex. Lebanon's military prosecutor issued arrest warrants against Assir and 123 of his followers. The warrants included the names of Assir's brother, and singer Fadl Shaker, who gave up his singing career to follow al-Assir. The raid on the compound at noon came after an attempt by a group of Salafi preachers to mediate a truce reached a dead end, with the Army determined to continue its operations until Assir was captured and his followers crushed, the sources said. Some sources claimed Hezbollah fighters had backed the Lebanese Army, but this was strongly denied by Lebanese Defence Minister Fayez Ghosn, who insisted the army fought alone. Overall, at least 50 people died during the fighting. Seventeen to 18 soldiers, 25–40 militants and reportedly four Hezbollah fighters were killed. Two civilians were killed, including a bodyguard of a cleric who tried to reach the fighting to negotiate a ceasefire. One hundred to 128 Lebanese soldiers, 60 pro-Assir militants, over 50 civilians and reportedly 15 Hezbollah fighters were wounded.Aftermath
Partly as a result of Assir's calls for help while holed up in his mosque in Sidon, thousands of youths in the outskirts of a slum in Cairo, Egypt attacked a Shia gathering there and killed its leader and three of his followers. Assir denounced the army as Shia stooges and urged soldiers to defect from the Lebanese army and join him, but this was condemned by the grand mufti of Lebanon. After ''McClatchy News'' and ''The Times of London'' reported that the Lebanese Army had fought alongside Hezbollah in the battle, the Army threatened legal action against news institutions that made such reports. Shortly after those threats, video of Hezbollah fighting alongside the Army was broadcast on Lebanese television. The Army also came under fire from human rights activists for the videotaped beating of one detainee from the battle and the death during questioning of a second arrestee.See also
* List of wars involving Lebanon *References
{{coord missing, Lebanon 2013 in Lebanon Battles involving Lebanon Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon June 2013 events in Lebanon