The Lebanese Red Cross said it was the worst situation in Beirut in ten years. Hundreds of followers of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah and its allies from the Amal movement marched towards the Palace of Justice when they were shot at from unknown places.
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Protesters and journalists immediately ran to the nearest shelter. “Snipers and other shooters are shooting people in the head,” said Lebanese Interior Minister Basam Mawlawi.
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Beirut has literally turned into a war zone. According to CNN, some protesters are defending themselves with assault rifles resembling Russian Kalashnikov AK-47s. Smoke billows from some buildings after the shooting. The Lebanese army said in a statement on Thursday that it would shoot at all armed persons and called on people to leave the streets.
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According to some witnesses, there was even rocket fire. But it is not yet known who shot the protesters. “It is obvious that the protesters were shot at by an organized armed group that had been planning an attack for some time. We will not return fire because they are trying to drag us into a civil war, and we do not want that, “a” high-ranking “member of Hezbollah told CNN.
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Hezbollah, along with the Amal movement, called on its supporters to calm the situation. Both organizations are among critics of Judge Tarek Bitar, who is investigating last August’s explosion in a Lebanese port, where 2,750 tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate exploded.
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204 people lost their lives at the time, and several members of the government were detained. Overall, however, the investigation has not made much progress. Judge Bitara, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah criticized his inaction and demanded his dismissal.
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Since the port explosion, Lebanon has been facing an economic crisis that has led to a skyrocketing rise in inflation, poverty and unemployment. The outrage is also the survivors of the victims, according to whom the government is thwarting the investigation.
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