4 Dead in East Lebanon Clashes, Army Contains Situation

Local Editor

Four people were killed and several others wounded in East Lebanon during weekend gun battles between neighbors.

Off-duty army soldier Mohammed Said Janbeen and his uncle Faraj were killed on Saturday in clashes with the Shouman family in the Bekaa town of Souairi, with the army arresting three suspects over the killings.

But clashes reignited on Sunday between the families, leading to the deaths of brothers Khaled and Ahmad Ali Janbeen, and Ali Youssef Shouman, after nine houses belonging to the Shouman family were set ablaze by "unknown" assailants.

At least 10 others were wounded in the weekend clashes.

Sources clarified that the two families have a history of conflict, but that the region's worsening sectarian tensions have exacerbated the feud.
The army said it discovered a Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition inside a vehicle belonging to one of the suspected gunmen.

Meanwhile, the army managed to contain the situation as it erected checkpoints and staged armored patrols in the town.
In parallel, the army's intelligence directorate exerted major efforts and troops to arrest those who opened fire. "An army force intervened and raided the houses of the shooters, arresting eight people," said the Lebanese army statement, noting that the detainees were referred to the relevant judicial authorities.

Later on Sunday, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Sakr Sakr tasked the army's Military Police and Intelligence Directorate and the Criminal Evidence Department to probe the deadly events in Souairi.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team