Pro, Anti-Assad Demos in Lebanon: Clashes in Tariq Jedideh, Shooting in Nabaa
Around 200 Syrian expats rallied in front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut on Sunday, shouting slogans in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is facing unprecedented domestic pressure as protests and clashes erupt across Syria, Agence France Presse reported.
Demonstrators in front of the embassy in the Beirut area of Hamra held pictures of Assad, chanting "With our souls, with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Bashar" as Lebanese security forces and army troops cordoned off the area and started checking IDs.
Meanwhile, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that around 50 anti-Assad protesters also staged a rally in front of the embassy.
In the neighborhood of Nabaa, east of Beirut, gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on dozens of Syrian demonstrators, wounding one and sparking panic among the protesters who dispersed after the incident, a security source told AFP.
The relevant authorities opened an investigation into the shooting, the source added.
Witnesses told AFP that Syrian demonstrators had entered "by mistake" the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq Jedideh, a Mustaqbal Movement stronghold.
Young men from the area beat up several of the protesters before the army intervened and dispersed the crowd.
More than 30 people have been confirmed killed in a spiral of violence that has gripped Syria since a wave of protest broke out on March 15, with demonstrators demanding major reforms.
Source: Agence France Presse
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