Three days of clashes in the northern Lebanese town of Tripoli has claimed the lives of eleven people, security sources and the Lebanese army said Sunday.

The deadly clashes have been linked to the conflict in Syria, with the latest attack killing a soldier killed after a military patrol in the city was hit by an anti-tank grenade overnight.

The latest fighting broke out on Thursday after a Sunni man was killed by unknown gunmen on a motorbike in central Tripoli, according to Agence France-Presse.

At least 50 people have also been injured as the clashes pit the Alawite district of Jabal Mohsen against the neighboring Sunni quarter of Bab al-Tebbaneh. But tensions between the districts have run high for decades, only increasing with the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, where Alawite President Bashar al-Assad faces a Sunni-dominated uprising.

The Lebanese army has made several arrests and is reportedly responding to sources of fire. On Saturday, two people were killed by snipers and another three succumbed to injuries sustained earlier in the clashes.

(Al Arabiya with AFP)