Syria violence spreads to neighbours

Syria's neighbours faced getting further sucked into its bloody civil war today as new clashes erupted in Lebanon and a Jordanian soldier was shot dead at the border.

In Beirut, Sunni and Shia Muslim militias battled each other with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades following the funeral of a government intelligence chief killed in a car bomb.

The US has vowed to help Lebanese authorities track down the murderers of General Wissam al-Hassan, a Sunni Muslim and critic of Syria. His assassination threatens to shatter Lebanon’s fragile political balance. Yesterday thousands attended the state funeral of General Hassan, who was killed with two others in the capital on Friday.

He had been responsible for arresting a pro-Syrian politician and many people blame Syria for his death. After the funeral angry protesters tried to storm the Lebanese government palace.

Five people were reported wounded this morning by gunfire at the edge of Tariq al-Jadida, a Sunni district next to a Shia suburb. Two people died last night. There was also fighting in the northern city of Tripoli, and south of Beirut. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton agreed to a joint inquiry into the car bombing in a phone call with Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati. She stressed “the US’s firm commitment to Lebanon’s stability, independence, sovereignty and security”.

Jordan suffered its first military casualty linked to the Syrian war today after a soldier was killed in clashes with fighters trying to cross the Syrian border to join rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad’s regime.