Lebanon authorities have said that gunfire killed at least six people and wounded 30 at a Beirut rally organized by Shia Hezbollah and Amal movements to demand the dismissal of the Beirut blast lead investigator.
The shooting on frontline of the 1975-90 civil war marks some of Lebanon’s worst strife in years and highlights a deepening crisis over the probe into the August 2020 blast that is undermining government efforts to tackle one of the most dramatic economic meltdowns in history.
He said that some of the victims were shot in the head.
One man died of a gunshot to the head and a second of a shot to the chest said Mariam Hassan of the Sahel Hospital in Beirut’s mainly Shia southern suburbs.
A 24-year-old woman was hit in the head by a stray bullet while inside her home, the doctor added.
The state-run National News Agency reported another death at the Rasoul al Azam hospital, also in the southern suburbs.
The Lebanese Red Cross reported 20 wounded.
Lebanese television broadcast images of men carrying rifles and heavy weaponry.
The army said in a statement the gunfire had targeted protesters as they passed through the Tayouneh traffic circle located in an area dividing Christian and Shia Muslim neighborhoods.
“The army rushed to cordon off the area and deploy in its neighborhoods and their entrance. Patrols started, as did the search for the shooters to detain them,” it said.
In a follow-up statement, the military warned that it would open fire at anyone firing live rounds, calling on civilians to evacuate the area.
The shooting began from the Christian neighborhood of Ain el-Remmaneh before spiraling into an exchange of fire, one military source said.
Hezbollah and Amal Movement said groups had fired at protesters from rooftops, aiming at their heads in an attack they said aimed to drag Lebanon into conflict.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for calm to be restored and warned against attempts to drag Lebanon into violence.
The supporters and allies of Hezbollah had gathered to protest against the judge investigating last year’s massive blast in the city’s port.
Previously, the new government was shaken by demands from Hezbollah for the judge investigating the blast, Tarek Bitar, to be removed, accusing him of bias.
The judge has sought to question a number of senior politicians and security officials, including Hezbollah allies, suspected of negligence that led to the port explosion, which was caused by a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate.
