The Lebanese army deployed its forces in the Khalde area, south of Beirut, after a number of gunmen were killed in a clash against the backdrop of revenge between Sunni tribes and Hezbollah, and President Michel Aoun asked the army to take immediate measures to restore calm.

Yesterday, Saturday, the funeral procession of a Hezbollah supporter was shot at, which led to the killing of a number of gunmen who were in the funeral procession. The matter developed into an exchange of fire between the funeral participants and members of the Khaldeh tribes.

A security source told AFP that 3 Hezbollah members were killed as a result of an "ambush" during the funeral, which quickly developed into armed clashes that left two more people dead and a number of wounded.

The army imposed a security cordon in Khaldeh yesterday evening, and the army command announced that its units would "shoot at any gunman who is on the roads in Khaldeh and at anyone who shoots from anywhere else."

The army command said - in a statement - that "militants" opened fire at the funeral procession, which led to clashes that resulted in casualties and the wounding of a number of citizens and one of the soldiers.

It is noteworthy that Ali Shibli - a supporter of Hezbollah - was killed yesterday, Saturday, in a revenge operation, in response to the killing of a member of the Khaldeh tribes in an armed clash last summer.

The Lebanese Red Cross called on all parties to "immediately cease fire" in Khalde;

So that his teams "can intervene to rescue the wounded and take them to hospitals."

Activists, via social media platforms, circulated video clips of the deployment of commando forces from the Lebanese army, and a large number of military vehicles throughout the Khalde area, south of Beirut.

A force of Lebanese army commandos deployed in Khalde pic.twitter.com/Jewy5n7nsR

— ﮼Associate﮼ ﮼Dolto﮼🇱🇧 (@HRkain) August 1, 2021

President Aoun

Lebanese President Michel Aoun expressed his regret over the events in Khalde, and asked the army to take immediate measures to restore calm, arrest the shooters, withdraw the gunmen, and secure the movement of citizens on the international road.

Aoun said, "The current circumstances do not allow any breach of security or practices that fuel the required sedition and nip it in the bud, and all parties must cooperate to achieve this goal."

In turn, Hezbollah condemned - in a statement - that the mourners were subjected to a "planned ambush and heavy gunfire", calling on the army to intervene to impose security and "stop the killers and arrest them in preparation for bringing them to trial."

As for the Sunni Arab clans residing in the town, they said - in a statement yesterday - "We are the Arab clans in Lebanon... One of the Arabs' customs and traditions is to take revenge if there is no reconciliation between the two opponents, and what happened today with the killing of Ali al-Shibli is nothing but revenge."

The statement called on the Shibli family to consider "the killing as an eye for an eye and not to go beyond that," and added, "We hope that the matter will not lead us to a strife with ominous consequences, and our hand is in the hands of everyone who wants peace and goodness for the country and the nation."

Khaldeh is a war scene and a number of dead and wounded pic.twitter.com/idKUWZRMi3

— Lebanon Dream (@TheLebanonDream) August 1, 2021

Several political forces - including Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati - called for "restraint", warning the need to "not be drawn into strife and useless fighting."

The head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, stressed that those who opened fire must be arrested, and that justice should take its course. The "wise people" also demanded a general clan reconciliation, expressing his readiness to mediate.