in the northern region of Akkar, he said, adding that rescue workers were unable to enter because of the intensity of the fighting.
The official identified the victim as Ezzedin Qassem, the imam of the mosque in a neighboring village.
Three other people were hurt in the shootout, he said, adding that automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the fighting, which was triggered by a "dispute between villagers."
The village lies about 50 kilometers north of the port city of Tripoli, the scene of a spate of deadly clashes between the two communities which each support rival political factions.
In June and July, 23 people were killed in battles between Sunni supporters of Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and their Damascus-backed rivals from the Alawite community who support Hizbullah.
There has been tension between the two sides ever since Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.
Alawites are an offshoot of Shiite Islam and straddle the border into Syria whose President Bashar al-Assad is a follower of the faith.
Sheikh Lar is also home to Maronite Christians.
Also Sunday, Amal movement supporters, who were returning from a rally in Nabatiyeh in the south, engaged in a fistfight with youths near Corniche Mazraa's Abdel Nasser Mosque, a Sunni Muslim stronghold
An Nahar daily said that the army interfered and quickly ended the clash, which resulted in material damage only
Tags: Lebanon, source: Naharnet, Ya Libnan
