The World - News from Jan. 2, 1989

Rival Shia militias battled in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing eight people and shattering a one-month lull in fighting. A woman and her two children were among those killed and 15 other people, including two Syrian peacekeeping soldiers, were wounded, officials said. The fighting erupted as New Year’s Eve revelers fired automatic weapons in the air and continued after dawn as soldiers from the pro-Syrian Amal and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah broke two cease-fires hastily arranged by Syrian troops. The fighting follows a year in which an estimated 1,500 people died violently in Lebanon, including at least 580 killed in fighting between rival militias for control of various areas of Beirut.