SIDON, Lebanon: One person was killed and three people wounded in Sidon Thursday night during an exchange of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades between ostensible political allies. The hour-long clash, which terrified local residents and trapped a number of them in their homes, claimed the life of Mohammad Dirar and wounded Mahmoud Bazazo, from a group called the Resistance Companies, allied with Hezbollah. Also wounded were Ahmad Masrieh and his son Mohammad, from the Popular Nasserite Organization. The Resistance Companies have recruited members from political groups allied with Hezbollah in the city, such as the PNO, which has generated tension between the two sides. A similar incident took place between the two sides on New Year’s Eve, when the two sides engaged in an exchange of gunfire that left no casualties. Army troops cordoned off the area where the fighting took place on the outskirts of Sidon and launched an investigation into the incident.