Five dead in clashes south of Beirut

MENA

Published: 2021-08-01 20:16

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 04:46


Five dead in clashes south of Beirut
Five dead in clashes south of Beirut

Five people, including three members of Hezbollah, were killed in the Khalde area south of Beirut on Sunday, a security source told AFP, in an "ambush" followed by an armed clash during the funeral of a party member who was killed Saturday in revenge.

The region has witnessed tension since Saturday, after the killing of the young man, Ali Shibli, on the background of a revenge case. The security measures imposed by the army did not prevent renewed clashes during the funeral of the dead man, who was mourned by Hezbollah.

A security source reported that three members of the party were killed as a result of an "ambush" during the funeral, which quickly developed into armed clashes that left two others dead and a number of wounded.

The Lebanese Red Cross called on all parties to "immediately cease fire" in Khaldeh so that its teams "can intervene to treat the wounded and transport them to hospitals."

The Army Command announced that its units deployed in Khaldeh will "shoot at any gunman who is on the roads in Khaldeh and at anyone who shoots from anywhere else."

It said in a statement that "militants" opened fire at the funeral procession, which led to clashes that resulted in casualties and the wounding of a number of citizens and one of the soldiers.

Hezbollah condemned in a statement that the mourners were subjected to a "planned ambush and heavy shooting by the gunmen," calling on "the army and security forces to intervene decisively to impose security and work quickly to stop and arrest the killers in preparation for bringing them to trial."

Several political forces, including Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, called for "restraint," warning the need to "not be drawn into strife and useless fighting."

The roots of the fighting in Khaldeh go back to a tension that erupted on August 28, 2020, after supporters of Hezbollah hung religious banners in the area, which developed into clashes between them and members of Arab tribes, which left two people dead, one of whom was Hassan Ghosn.

Saturday, Ghosn's brother killed Shibli in revenge. Ghosn's family said in a statement on Sunday that what happened on Saturday "could have been avoided" had "the de facto authority protecting him (Shibli) handed him over to the competent judiciary," referring to Hezbollah.

This tension comes against the backdrop of a wide political division in Lebanon, which is mired in an unprecedented economic collapse, which the World Bank has classified as among the worst in the world since 1850.