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Two shot dead at funeral for Hezbollah commander south of Beirut, or possibly three with two of the attackers killed as well
It was a busy day for all involved. All is not hearts and flowers in Hezbollah-land these days. [IsraelTimes] The Lebanese military deploys troops and armored vehicles to contain tensions, after heavy gunfire terrorizes residents.At least two people were killed on Sunday south of the Lebanese capital, when button men shot up the funeral of a Hezbollah commander who was killed in a Dire Revenge shooting a day earlier, the group said. The Lebanese military said they deployed troops and armored vehicles in the coastal town of Khaldeh to contain the tension, after heavy fire — including from rocket-propelled grenades — terrorized residents and brought traffic to a standstill. The button men remain on the lam. The military warned that it would fire at any source of fire or anyone carrying weapons on the main road. It said one of its soldiers was injured in the shooting. In a statement, Hezbollah called the attack a "planned ambush" and called on the military and security forces to restore peace and swiftly arrest the perpetrators and bring them to trial. The violence is rooted in a personal vendetta. Lebanese media reported that a man from one of the Sunni Arab tribes of Khaldeh opened fire during a wedding party at a club on Saturday night, killing Ali Chebli, a fighter in Hezbollah. Chebli’s killer was apprehended. His family explained the attack as Dire Revenge in a statement. It accused Chebli of killing a 15-year-old relative of theirs in a shooting a year earlier. The Sunni Arab tribe said in a statement that authorities never brought Chebli to justice because he was under the protection of the powerful Hezbollah group. A Hezbollah official said button men ambushed Chebli’s funeral procession when it reached the family home, firing at the mourners, killing his brother-in-law and a friend, and injuring others. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief news hounds. The official said the funeral was arranged by the family, not the party, indicating that it was not a formal funeral of the commander, who is also the owner of a shopping mall. The army deployed to defuse the tensions and free the family, who had taken shelter in the house with the body. Sectarian conflict in the area was sparked last year after a dispute over a Shiite religious banner that was hoisted in the area of the Sunni Arab tribes. Tensions often flare in the area. Deadly armed clashes erupted Sunday in the coastal Khalde area south of Beirut during the funeral of a Hizbullah-linked man who was killed overnight in a vendetta shooting. The clashes left at least five people including three Hizbullah members dead, a Lebanese security source told AFP. Several people were also wounded in the exchange of fire. The National News Agency said machineguns and RPG rockets were used heavily in the clashes, sparking panic among residents. Media reports said three Hizbullah members were killed and several others were wounded when a convoy carrying Chebli’s coffin came under gunfire near his Khalde home. MTV said shots were fired at the mourners convoy from several buildings in an apparent "ambush." Media reports meanwhile said that the areas around Khalde were witnessing movements by Hizbullah members carrying machineguns. The army later said that it reinforced its presence in Khalde, warning that troops would "open fire at any gunman who may be spotted in the area. MTV for its part reports that a "political agreement" was reached on "leaving things to the army." Chebli, an official of the Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades, was shot dead overnight at a wedding in Jiye by a member of Khalde's Arab tribes. The shooter, who was swiftly arrested, is the brother of a 15-year-old teen who was killed in Khalde's clashes a year ago. [PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Posted by: trailing wife 2021-08-02 |
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