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Hizbullah, Amal Slam 'Lebanese Forces Snipers', LF Accuses Them of 'Invasion'
Yesterday the kinetic drama, today the accusations. [AnNahar] Hizbullah... Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistanceand purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... and Amal on Thursday openly accused the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... of launching an "armed attack" on their supporters in the Tayyouneh area, which had during the day witnessed hours-long armed festivities reminiscent of the beginning of the 1975-1990 civil war. In a joint statement, the two parties said "groups from the Lebanese Forces party deployed in the adjacent neighborhoods and on rooftops from where they practiced direct sniping operations aimed at intentional killing, leaving this number of deaders and maimed." At least six people were killed and 32 others injured in the violence. Condemning what they called "a criminal and premeditated act targeted at stability and civil peace," Hizbullah and Amal called on the army and security forces to "shoulder their responsibilities in returning things to normal and arresting those behind the killing operations who are known by their names, as well as the instigators who oversaw this deliberate operation from black rooms." "They must be put on trial and must receive the harshest penalties," the two groups said. They also pledged to the families of their slain supporters that they would "follow up on their cause until justice is fulfilled." The LF meanwhile denied the accusations, calling on authorities to "specify the responsibilities in a clear and frank manner." "We strongly condemn the regrettable incidents that happened today on the ground, which are a practical result of the polarization that (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah  ...The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...started four months ago by inciting, in all his speeches, against the investigative judge," the LF added. "All media outlets and the videos circulated on social media confirm the armed appearances with RPGs and machineguns and the entry into civilian neighborhoods," the party went on to say, in an accusation against the supporters of Hizbullah and Amal. It added that the allegations against the LF are aimed at "deviating attention from Hizbullah’s invasion of this area and, in previous instances, of other areas." "What happened today is known to everyone, which is confronting justice through the same coup-like approach, and the use of arms, intimidation, violence and force to derail justice in the case of the Beirut port explosion," the LF added. In another statement, it called on the army to issue a detailed statement to "clarify the circumstances of what happened, from the very first moment, so that some, especially Hizbullah, do not continue to exploit these tragic incidents to launch accusations in every direction in order to exit the dilemma they has put themselves in." Heavy fighting ... as opposed to the more usual name-calling or slapsy... claimed at least six lives and left dozens maimed in and around the Tayyouneh area on Thursday as an escalation of tensions around last year's massive portside explosion turned parts of Beirut's southern edge into a war-zone. The army deployed tanks and troops to quell street battles that sparked memories of the 1975-1990 civil war for a city already traumatized by last year's blast disaster and Leb  ...In 2020 Hezbollahblew up a considerable portion of Beirut and many of its inhabitants when its ammonium nitrate facility exploded. They blamed it on... somebody else. It wasn't them though. Trust them on that. And it ain't never coming to trial...'s worst-ever economic crisis. The bloody unrest broke out during a demonstration by Hizbullah and Amal Movement. Online videos showed armed supporters of the two groups roaming the area. Another video showed a large number of Hizbullah and Amal supporters entering into a street in the Ain el-Rummaneh area, shouting slogans, hurling stones at a small group of young men and smashing cars. A witness from Ain el-Rummaneh said the group responded with stones before the armed festivities began. The protesters were rallying against Judge Tarek Bitar, tasked with investigating the massive explosion of poorly stored ammonium nitrate at Beirut's port that killed more than 210 people and destroyed swathes of the capital on August 4 last year. The judge had in recent days been in the sights of Hizbullah and Amal after he subpoenaed brass hats in his probe. AFP correspondents said Thursday's violence started with sniper fire from residential buildings targeting the Hizbullah and Amal supporters, who returned fire with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. - ARRESTS ON BOTH SIDES - The army said it had responded to an exchange of gunfire in the Tayyouneh- Badaro area as protesters headed to the Palace of Justice. It "raided a number of places looking for the shooters, and detained nine" people in total, including individuals from both sides. One was of Syrian nationality, it said. The military did not specify who started the firefight. Related: Tayyouneh: 2016-12-01 Suspect Supplying Militants with Weapons Arrested in Majdal Anjar, Lebanon Tayyouneh: 2014-12-29 Report: Security Intensified in North over Fears of Terrorist Attack against Military Tayyouneh: 2014-12-19 Report: Detained Abdullah Azzam Militant was Involved in Shatah's Assassination Posted by: trailing wife 2021-10-15 |
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