MP el Kadiri to LBCI: Strife will not erupt in Western Bekaa town of Sawiri

MP Ziad el Kadiri said on Monday that calm currently prevails over the Western Bekaa town of Sawiri, noting that everyone will work on easing down the tension.

MP el Kadiri's comments were made during a phone call with Nharkom Said TV show in which he noted that strife will not erupt in Sawiri, adding that residents of the town are cooperating in order to spare the town further tension.

He also noted that the reasons behind the clashes are the Syrian crisis and the stances adopted by some Lebanese leaders in this regard.

Cautious calm prevailed on Sunday in Western Bekaa's Sawiri town where the Lebanese Armed Forces conducted patrols and established checkpoints at the town's entrances.

Four citizens, two from al-Janbayn family and two from al-Shouman family, were killed on Sunday and 5 others were wounded when clashes renewed in the town on the backdrop of a personal dispute that erupted Saturday between the two families.

State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the military police, LAF Intelligence Directorate and Criminal Evidence Department with launching investigations into the incidents.

"While a funeral was held for conscript Mohammed Janbayn, clashes renewed between the two parties while gunfire was heard and houses were torched, claiming the lives of Ahmad Janbayn and his brother identified as First Sergeant Khaled Janbayn, as well as Youssef Shouman and his son," the Army Command said in a statement.

It added that a number of soldiers were injured, noting that the army intervened, raided the shooters' houses, arrested eight persons and referred them to the concerned authorities.

In this context, caretaker Minister Wael Abou Faour called former Prime Ministers Fouad Siniora and Saad Hariri, as well as Speaker Nabih Berri and the Lebanese Armed Forces Command, to discuss the situation and prevent the events from escalating and leading to strife.

Clashes erupted on Saturday between the two families on the backdrop of a personal dispute that evolved into an armed clash, killing conscript Mohammed Saeed Janbayn and leaving his brother Faraj seriously injured.