According to a security source, the Lebanese Army has dispatched troops to a northern location where two men were slain last week in violence between rival tribes that sprang from a forestry dispute.
On Wednesday, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in fighting between residents of the villages of Akkar al-Atiqa and Fnaidek in the predominately Sunni Muslim area, according to the source. On Thursday, the situation was quiet.
The rival groups have a history of disputes.
The violence adds to concerns of insecurity in Lebanon, where a financial meltdown is causing deepening chaos.
Though the incident was not linked directly to the financial crisis, it shows that “the state is losing its standing”, the security source said.
In a statement on Wednesday night, Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri said the bloodshed must stop and urged a halt to the “use of weapons as the means of dialogue between brothers”.
There have been daily security incidents in Lebanon of late involving fuel as the financial crisis has given rise to crippling shortages, sparking melees and confrontations over gasoline and diesel. Fuel tanker trucks have also been hijacked.