Geagea Urges Calm as Btedei Incident Victim Succumbs to Injuries

A Lebanese man succumbed to his injuries on Monday after his wife was killed and his son injured over the weekend during clashes between the Lebanese army and a number of gunmen west of Baalbek, which prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to urge calm and promise that the culprits will be brought to justice.

Sobhi Fakhri, who was in critical condition, died at Dar al-Amal hospital.

His wife Nadimeh was killed and his son Romeo were wounded in the Saturday crime committed by fugitives from al-Jaafar clan in the Baalbek town of Btedei.

The gunmen were fleeing raids carried out by the Lebanese army in the Dar al-Wasaa area when they entered the Fakhri house with the intent of taking their vehicle.

The family refused to meet the demands of the armed men, which prompted them to shoot the couple and their son.

The residents of Btedei have warned they would go after the criminals if the authorities failed to arrest them. They held the Jaafar clan responsible for the crime.

The Jaafar clan, however, issued a statement in which they voiced regret over “the martyrdom of Nadimeh and Sobhi Fakhri.”

The statement noted that the clan's gunmen “entered the house with the aim of seeking protection and help, since they have had ties with the sons of the Fakhri family for tens of years.”

“A stampede ensued inside the house and shooting started from several sides, which resulted in the martyrdom of dear brothers,” the statement explained.

But Geagea dismissed the clan's statement on Monday, noting that “an entire family was attacked because fugitive criminals wanted to add to their record the assassination of an entire family.”

“The criminals will be brought to justice and I have contacted several officials, who expressed determination to pursue the criminals until the end,” he said at a press conference.

“The criminals acted like the ISIL (Islamic State group) and their records are full of criminality,” the LF leader added.

He called on the residents of Btedei and neighboring Deir al-Ahmar to “preserve civil peace, because if evil won one round, the law, right and justice will win a thousand rounds.”

Geagea expressed regret over the statement issued by the Jaafar family, while describing them as “neighbors.”

“But their statement was against truth and reality. They should have tried to appease people and the victims instead of issuing blatant accusations,” said Geagea.

He urged residents to show restraint, pledging to them that “the criminals will be prosecuted and brought to justice.”

Geagea also call on the Bekaa prosecutor to probe the statement issued by the Jaafar clan, “because some people have decided to stand by the criminals against the innocents.”

G.K./Y.R.

M.T.