Qaouq urges president who can 'protect civil peace' after Kahale unrest

Senior Hezbollah official Sheikh Nabil Qaouq has lauded what he described as “the patriotic stance of former president General Michel Aoun” in the wake of the deadly Kahale incident.

“His stance was the voice of wisdom and national awareness that rejects strife,” Qaouq said, adding that “the dialogue between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement is continuous, progressing positively and will not be affected” by the Kahale unrest.

He added: “After what happened in Kahale, the certain result is that today we’re more determined and adamant on securing the election of a president who can be entrusted with protecting civil peace and national unity.”

A Hezbollah member and a resident of Kahale, both of whom were armed, were killed in an exchange of gunfire Wednesday after a Hezbollah ammunition truck flipped over on the international highway that passes through the town.

The incident started after some residents learned that the truck belonged to Hezbollah. They surrounded it and demanded to know what was inside before a fistfight ensued between two individuals.

Footage available online also shows Kahale residents hurling rocks at the overturned truck and its guards and the Hezbollah members brandishing weapons and shooting in the area. Another video shows a short-distance exchange of gunfire between Hezbollah members and Fadi Bejjani, the Kahale man who was killed in the violence. The identity of the individual who fired the first shot is still unclear.