Fighting between the two rival neighborhoods of Alawite Jabal Mohsen and Sunni Bab El Tebbaneh in northern Lebanon's port city of Tripoli have intensified and left one person dead and more than 20 others wounded.

According to a security source who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, an army officer and 4 soldiers were injured during the clash.

The Lebanese army staged patrols in Syria street, which is the main separation line between the two neighborhoods, and fired towards the sources of fire with machine guns.

The National News Agency said that heavy fighting broke out Monday night in the battle-scarred areas as combatants used different calibers of weapons including rockets propelled grenades (RPGs) that landed in the Zahryeh region and its surrounding.

Many citizens in these volatile regions have been forced to flee to safer areas in Tripoli.