TRIPOLI, Lebanon, July 9 (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and 33 people were wounded on Wednesday in sectarian clashes in Lebanon's second largest city Tripoli, security sources said.

Explosions and machinegun fire rocked the city from midnight as Sunni Muslim supporters of the government and Alawite gunmen close to the Shi'ite Hezbollah-led opposition battled on the outskirts of the mainly Sunni Muslim port.

The fighting began after four grenades were fired at a street separating the Sunni Bab Tibbaneh district and Alawite Jabal Mohsen district, scenes of deadly clashes last month.

Tripoli is dominated by the country's anti-Syrian Sunni-led majority coalition while a majority of Alawites maintain close ties to Syria, which is ruled by an Alawite.

Lebanon ended an 18-month political crisis in May with the Western-backed coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition reaching a Qatari-mediated accord. The conflict had led to a violent showdown between the two sides in Beirut.

Delays in the formation of a national unity government, as stipulated in May's accord, have raised fears of a further deterioration in the security situation. (Writing by Nadim Ladki; Editing by Caroline Drees)

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