Army Contains Situation in Souairi after 4 Dead in Renewed Clashes

The army managed to contain the situation on Sunday evening in the West Bekaa town of Souairi after renewed clashes between the Shouman and Jinbeen families left four people dead earlier in the day.

"The army managed to contain the situation in the town of Souairi amid cautious calm," LBCI television reported.

"The army erected checkpoints and staged armored patrols in the town ... after the army's intelligence directorate exerted major efforts and troops will arrest those who opened fire today," LBCI added.

An army statement said the clashes renewed during the funeral of conscript Mohammed Saeed Jinbeen, who was killed in a personal dispute on Saturday.

“During the funeral of the conscript Mohammed Jinbeen, armed clashes involving the torching of houses renewed between the two parties, which resulted in the death of Ahmed Jinbeen and his brother First Sergeant Khaled Jinbeen in addition to Youssef Shouman and one of his sons,” the statement said.

Several off-duty soldiers were also wounded in the clashes, it added.

“An army force intervened and raided the houses of the shooters, arresting eight people,” said the statement, noting that the detainees were referred to the relevant judicial authorities.

In an earlier statement, the army said suspects were arrested over the death of conscript Mohammed Saeed Jinbeen in an individual dispute.

His brother Faraj was wounded in the dispute with the Shouman family which started on Saturday.

The communique said the army seized two Kalashnikov rifles and ammunition from the vehicle of three suspects.

Nine houses owned by the Shouman family were torched, sparking a new round of fighting, according to the National News Agency.

NNA said two brothers, Khaled and Ahmed Ali Jinbeen, were killed and six other residents were injured in the clashes.

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

On the political front, caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, who hails from West Bekaa, discussed the town's incidents with Speaker Nabih Berri, former premiers Saad Hariri and Fouad Saniora and the army command, urging them to “intervene quickly to avert any security deterioration in the town of Souairi.”

In the evening, members of the Shouman family blocked the international highway with burning tires in the town of Sirein al-Tahta "in protest at the clashes in Souairi and in solidarity with their relatives," NNA said.

The army swiftly intervened and reopened the road.