LAF implement security measures as tension between Arsal and al-Labweh residents mounts

  
Cautious calm is currently prevailing over the Al-Labweh town following the killing of four people affiliated with the Al-Jaafar and the Al-Amhaz clans on Sunday.     

Meanwhile, various political figures from the Amal Movement and Hezbollah visited on Monday the Al-Labweh town upon the request of House Speaker Nabih Berri and the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.               

Among the figures was Caretaker Ministers Ali Hassan Khalil, Mohammad Hajj Hassan and Hezbollah Sheikh Mohammad Yazbeck.                             

Locals from Al-Labwe had called on the residents of Arsal to hand over those behind Sunday’s ambush in order to ease the tension and maintain stability. In return Arsal residents issued a statement denouncing the attack and expressing their support to the Al-Jaafar and Al-Amhaz clans.                             

This as Lebanese Armed Forces carried out patrols in the region and implemented tight security measures from Baalbeck towards Hermel, setting up several checkpoints along the way.      

It is worth noting that the funerals of 2 members from Al-Jaafar clan were held at 10 am; whereas the burial service of Sheireif Amhaz will take place at 6 pm.           

Later in the day, the Amhaz clan and the region’s residents issued a statement which was read by Sheikh Nabil Amhaz, stating that the incident is considered a heinous crime aiming at distancing the resistance from its main goal, noting that the residents restrained and abstained from reacting upon the recommendation of the leadership, in order to avoid strife.                   

The Amhaz clan called on the religious leaders to assume their responsibilities, stressing that the Lebanese Army and the security forces must be granted a political cover allowing them to interfere and perform an effective role in preventing security breaches.                     

The statement also called for revealing the identity of the criminals, noting that those who fail to uncover the murderers are protecting them and facilitating their project.

Four citizens were shot dead on Sunday in the region of Wadi Rafeq which is located between the bordering outskirts of al-Qaa and Ras Baalbeck.         

The citizens were identified as Ali Karameh Jaafar, Mohammad Ali Ahmad Jaafar, Hassan Shireif Amhaz, and another citizen from Al-Oglu. In the details, sources told LBCI that unknown assailants ambushed and killed the 4 citizens in the Wadi Rafeq region.              

Shortly after, Arsal residents issued a statement whereby they denounced the death of the 4 citizens and considered it as “a means to provoking tautness”.
                       
Sectarian tension between Sunnis and Shiites in Lebanon is at an all time high, and the situation has worsened after Hezbollah's intervention in the Syrian crisis alongside regime troops.        

Most Sunnis in Lebanon support the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to oust Syrian President Bachar Assad.