DAMASCUS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Sunday that two border crossings with northern Lebanon would be closed temporarily until the situation in north Lebanon becomes secure, the official SANA news agency reported.

    "Due to the security circumstances in north Lebanon and for preserving safety of the Syrian and Lebanese citizens, the Interior Ministry decided to close the border passageways in al-Arida and al-Dabbousiya till the security situation becomes more secure in north Lebanon," an official source at the ministry was quoted as saying.

    A deadly fighting erupted between the Lebanese army and Fatahal-Islam militants in northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli on Sunday, killing 11 Lebanese soldiers and at least three militants.

    The fighting broke out after a gun battle raged in a Tripoli neighborhood and the nearby Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared.

    It was the worst fighting in Lebanon's second-largest city in more than two decades, security officials said.

    Shortly after the outbreak of the fight, Lebanese Premier Fouad Seniora described the assault on the army as a crime against national stability.