Hezbollah official calls on Lebanon army to do more in Shia stronghold amid 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹violence
Jacob Boswall, Al Arabiya English Monday 12 October 2020
A Hezbollah official has called for a stronger
presence from the Lebanese army in the Shia
group’s stronghold of
Baalbek-Hermel, near the border with Syria, after several days of clashes
between local clans.
“The security situation in the Bekaa governorate
and especially in Baalbek-Hermel is the responsibility of the state’s security
agencies … who must do their job better and with greater regularity,” former
Lebanese minister Hussein Hajj Hassan told local media at a press conference Sunday.
Last week, members of two rival clans in the
town circulated images and videos of their heavy arsenals of weaponry,
including RPGs.
The Chamass and Jaafar clans’ parade of military strength came
after four members of the Jaafar clan killed a member of the former family the
previous week, provoking a series of retaliatory attacks.
The two warring clans have a long history of
animosity and competition in the lawless region around the historic town of
Baalbek.
Speaking alongside Baalbek’s mayor, Hajj Hussein emphasized that
increased military action would be needed to ensure the governorate’s
stability.
“The role that the security apparatus is currently taking on in
Baalbek-Hermel is minimal when it is compared to the scale of the security
problem,” he explained.
The former agriculture minister added that politics should be
removed from the equation when it comes to security issues.
“We say to the security forces: do your part, and in politics, we
receive all the space we want.”
Local residents have called on Hezbollah to do more in the area,
where it has significant influence. Baalbek-Hermel residents have long
complained of negligence from the state in an area with little resources in
agriculture, education, and healthcare.
The cultivation of cannabis has been a leading source of income
for residents. Growing marijuana for medical use was approved by Lebanese
lawmakers recently; however, disagreements remain over whether the sector
should be state-run or privatized.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has advocated for it to be
state-run. The Shia sect has a leading role in the state-run tobacco company,
and opposition lawmakers fear similar corruption in any future cannabis sector.
Last Update: Tuesday, 13 October 2020 KSA 18:29 - GMT
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