Wahhab's Bodyguards Scuffle with General Security at al-Arida

A scuffle erupted Tuesday between bodyguards of Arab Tawhid Party chief ex-minister Wiam Wahhab and Lebanese General Security agents at the al-Arida border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, state-run National News Agency reported.

“As Wahhab's convoy was entering Lebanon from Syria through the al-Arida border crossing, a dispute and a scuffle broke out between the guards who were in his convoy and members of the General Security,” NNA said.

It added that the convoy continued its journey after the border post's chief “intervened and resolved the dispute.”

Meanwhile, Wahhab's Arab Tawhid Party issued a statement downplaying the incident as a “personal misunderstanding between a General Security agent and a car that was leading the convoy.”

“The guards who were in the car made their identity clear to the General Security member but he insisted on searching the car, which sparked a minor clash that was addressed on the spot,” it said.

The party noted that the officer in charge and the other agents behaved in a “courteous manner.”

“General Security members at all border crossings act in line with what their duty obliges them to do and according to the instructions of General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, whom we admire, appreciate and respect,” it added.

Y.R.