Beirut violence worries United Nations

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- The United Nations is calling for calm following clashes between rival Lebanese groups that left three people dead in Beirut, a U.N. special envoy said.

Clashes erupted Tuesday between members of Shiite resistance movement Hezbollah and members of Sunni organization al-Ahbash, leaving three dead and 11 wounded. The skirmish reportedly began over a dispute over a parking space and quickly erupted into a gunfight in the Burj Abi Haidar district of Beirut.

Michael Williams, the U.N. special envoy to Lebanon, said he was alarmed by the outbreak of violence in the streets of Beirut.

"The United Nations strongly encourages the call for dialogue, led by President (Michel) Suleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, to avoid any further tension and any similar incidents to those which occurred on Tuesday evening," he was quoted by Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper as saying.

More than 100 people were killed during street fighting led by a Hezbollah-led alliance in 2008. The latest clashes sparked concerns over Hezbollah's right to maintain an armed resistance.

U.S. lawmakers said they worry Hezbollah has infiltrated the Lebanese military following border clashes with Israeli forces.

The violence comes as Beirut prepares for indictments from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a U.N.-backed probe examining the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah suggested members of his organization may be named in the probe.