Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
At least five people were reported shot dead at a protest in Beirut the capital of Lebanon, against the judge investigating last year’s devastating port explosion.
Heavy gunfire erupted as supporters of the Hezbollah and Amal movements demanded Judge Tarek Bitar’s removal. They said snipers on rooftops attacked them to drag the country into strife.
Huge tension surrounds the probe into the port blast, with Hezbollah accusing the judge of unfairly singling out allied former government ministers.
A new government was announced in Lebanon on September 1, a year after the previous administration quit following the devastating Beirut port explosion. Najib Mikati – Lebanon’s richest man – became prime minister and his appointment, along with the naming of a new cabinet, brought end to months of political paralysis.
What began as a protest against Judge Bitar outside the Palace of Justice, with chanting and marching, escalated significantly.
Heavy, rolling gunfire erupted in the streets as the crowd passed through a roundabout in the central Tayouneh-Badaro area.
Hospital and military sources said the dead included two men who were shot in the head and the chest, as well as a woman who was hit by a stray bullet while inside her home.
Bullets also landed near a local school, forcing students to duck for cover under their desks. Hezbollah and Amal said in a joint statement that the protesters were targeted by snipers positioned on the roofs of buildings.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on everyone to calm down and not be drawn into sedition for any reason whatsoever.
The army said it had deployed troops to restore calm and search for the assailants, and warned that they would “shoot at any gunman on the roads and at anyone who shoots from any direction”.
Earlier on Thursday, a court dismissed a legal complaint brought by two of the former ministers whom Judge Bitar has sought to question in connection with the port explosion.
