A gas station owner in southern Lebanon was attacked on Monday by individuals posing as members of the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate.
According to the National News Agency (NNA), people in civilian clothing, claiming to be from the Intelligence Directorate, asked the owner of Joudy Station in Tyre to fill up the gallons they were carrying with gasoline.
When the station owner refused to do so, the unidentified individuals proceeded to assault him.
The victim suffered several fractures and bruises, and he was transported to a hospital in Sidon for treatment. The attackers fled the scene before security forces arrived and opened an investigation into the incident.
While the attackers have yet to be identified, the car they were driving had the license plate O/142057, as per the NNA.
Notably, the gas station’s employees later said that they previously filled several gallons that the assailants had brought before the incident.
They said they did so because they had been under the impression that the individuals were from the Intelligence Directorate.
Gas stations in Lebanon have been severely rationing their reserves and setting caps for refueling cars as an outcome of the shortage of fuel and the hike in fuel prices.
As a countermeasure, many people attempt to store gasoline in gallons and other containers, which gas stations often refuse to fill.
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