Shots were fired Monday evening in a clash between members of Samir Geagea’s Lebanese Forces (LF) and Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (Tayyar).
The clash erupted outside of the Tayyar’s headquarters in the Mirna Chalouhi area of Sin El-Fil as an LF convoy passed by commemorating the assassination of former Lebanese president-elect Bachir Gemayel.
It is unclear exactly how the clash began, but local media report that both parties threw sticks and stones at each other. The LF members were reportedly shouting slogans and chants, which provoked the Tayyar’s security guards.
Videos showed the guards shooting fires in the air. Some reported that fires were shot towards the LF convoy yet that remains unconfirmed.
The Lebanese army announced that it intervened quickly to restore calm and peace in the region. The Army Command also stressed the importance of expressing opinions in a peaceful manner to maintain stability and security.
فيديو وصلني لاطلاق النار في الهواء في ميرنا الشالوحي. ويبدو بحسب المشاهد بانها اجهزة امنية او من حراس المركز الحزبي – للتأكد pic.twitter.com/vhO4BZZn48
— Salman Andary (@salmanonline) September 14, 2020
As if Lebanon needed more PTSD, the clash was reminiscent of scenes of the civil war, a time decades ago when militias mercilessly fought one another.
