9 Hurt, Tents Torched as Residents Clash with Syrian Workers in al-Mari

A clash erupted Tuesday between a number of Syrian workers and residents of the Hasbaya District town of al-Mari in the South, state-run National News Agency reported.

It said seven Syrians and two residents were injured in the scuffle that involved the use of rocks and batons.

Ten tents were also torched in the clash that broke out in the town's plain.

NNA said the wounded were taken to hospitals in Marjeyoun and Hasbaya, identifying five of them as Wissam Sara, Hani Sara, Anwar Sara, Suheil Sara and Adel al-Anz.

The army encircled al-Mari's plain and closed the town's entrances in the wake of the incident as Civil Defense firefighters doused the blaze that gutted the tents.

“This clash erupted as a result of the failure to organize Syrian labor in this region, and they (Syrian workers) are increasing in number day after day,” al-Mari municipal chief Youssef Fayyad said.

He called on the relevant authorities to “coordinate with the municipality to avoid any such incident in the future.”

Y.R.