Businessman Pierre Fattouch said on Thursday that plans to establish a cement factory in the Mount Lebanon town of Ain Dara will continue despite the disputes surrounding it.
In a statement, Fattouch accused Ain Dara Mayor Fouad Haidamous and the municipality’s members of "fabricating rumors and accusations."
He also noted that he did not start construction “before obtaining all the licenses and signing contracts with international companies.”
He called on security apparatuses to put an end to the "chaos and armed gangs that are cutting the road in Daher al-Baidar."
The statement added that 25 unlicensed quarries are operating in the same region."
"The complex will be constructed, operate and produce by next year because it's legal and protected by applied laws."
Tensions have been high in Ain Dara over the construction of the cement factory.
Gunfire was shot next to a cement plant earlier this month.
The gunmen shot in the air after residents banned trucks from entering the factory facilities.
Residents and civil society groups have been opposing the construction of the plant due to its harmful impacts on the environment.