Lebanese authorities have received the first three dead bodies from a group of 17 foreign-backed militants recently killed by the Syrian army inside Syria.

Local clerics said on Sunday that a funeral was held for Mohammed al Meer, one of the militants, in the northern port town of Tripoli, at the border with Syria.

Two other bodies were also returned to their relatives in Tripoli.

On Wednesday, Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdel Karim Ali announced that Damascus had agreed to repatriate the militants' bodies.


Tensions in Tripoli have been mounting since reports emerged that the militants were killed inside Syria, after they joined the armed opposition groups.

Earlier in the day, at least six people were killed and 40 others injured in Tripoli as clashes broke out between supporters and opponents of the Syrian government.

The latest deaths brought the toll from fighting in the city since Tuesday to 19.

Although the violence in Tripoli is linked to the current conflict in Syria, some people in the city blame the Lebanese government for the continuation of the fighting.

Tripoli has been the scene of clashes between the two groups over the past months, and the fighting has forced residents to leave the volatile neighborhoods.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the insurgents are foreign nationals. /SR