Muslims and Communists wage stiff battle in Beirut

Shite Muslims and Communists clashed for more than 12 hours in a poor southern suburb of Beirut Monday, using artillery, mortars, and heavy machine guns in one of the worst flare-ups of fighting in several weeks. The shelling threatened to close the last major crossing point between the two halves of Lebanon's divided capital, but fighting eased when Syrian peacekeeping troops moved into the area.