The Lebanese Red Cross told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the clashes that took place on Thursday in Beirut rose to 7, while the country is witnessing a general closure today, in mourning for the victims of these events that brought back the specter of the civil war.

Among the dead were a man who was shot in the head and another in the chest, and a 24-year-old woman was hit by a stray bullet in her home, according to Agence France-Presse, citing medical sources.

The Amal Movement also mourned 3 of its members "who died while participating in the peaceful demonstration," as it described it.

Lebanon is witnessing a "general closure day to mourn the souls of the fallen martyrs," according to what the Prime Minister announced, as all public administrations, institutions, municipalities, and public and private schools are closed, and the dead are common today.

cautious calm

A cautious calm prevailed in the Tayouneh area, south of Beirut, after yesterday it was like a battlefield that witnessed the firing of machine guns and heavy shells and the spread of snipers on the roofs of buildings.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Catherine Hanna said that the movement of cars and pedestrians has returned relatively to the area, and that the army continues to strengthen its deployment at the intersection, which witnessed the fiercest clashes.

The clashes took place about 5 hours in the area, which is tens of meters from the Palace of Justice, despite the rapid deployment of army units in the site, which is one of the former front lines during the civil war (1975-1990), as it separates the Shiite-majority area and the area " Ain El-Remmaneh - Badaro, with a Christian majority.

The events began with heavy gunfire during a demonstration organized by supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal movement to denounce the decisions of the judicial investigator in the case of the Beirut port explosion, Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, and to demand his dismissal.


Hezbollah and the Amal Movement accused groups of the Lebanese Forces Party - the main Christian parties that participated in the civil war - of killing and wounding their supporters during the demonstration.

And they said in a joint statement that gunmen affiliated with the Lebanese Forces Party - led by Samir Geagea - shot protesters from the rooftops of buildings in Beirut, in an attack that the party and the movement said aimed to "drag the country into sedition."

They called on the army to intervene quickly to arrest those responsible for what happened, and called on their supporters to calm down.

The Lebanese Forces deny

On the other hand, the Lebanese Forces party denied these accusations "totally and in detail", and denounced the violence that it blamed for what it said was "incitement" by Hezbollah against Judge Tariq Al-Bitar.

Samir Geagea, head of the party, said - in a statement - that "the main reason for the events in Beirut is the unarmed weapon that threatens citizens at all times and places."

He denounced the clashes that took place, and called for full investigations to be conducted to determine responsibility for what happened.

For its part, the Lebanese army said - in a statement issued yesterday evening - that "while a number of protesters headed to the Adliya area for a sit-in, there was a problem and an exchange of fire occurred in the Tayouneh area - Badaro."

He added, "They raided a number of places in search of the shooters, and arrested 9 people from both sides, including a Syrian," without specifying the identities or affiliations of the parties who started the shooting.

And Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced that "the problem started with shooting through sniping."

The clashes sparked panic in the hearts of the population and brought to mind the scenes of the civil war (Getty Images)

As for President Michel Aoun, he said yesterday - in a televised speech - that what happened was a "painful and unacceptable scene... that brought us back to the days we longed for."

He added, "It is not acceptable for weapons to return as a language of communication between the Lebanese parties. The street is not a place for protest," stressing that the investigation into the Beirut port explosion will remain a "priority."

External calls for calm

Regarding foreign reactions, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said - today, Friday, in a statement - that the Kingdom is following with interest the current events in Lebanon and expresses its hope for the stability of the situation as soon as possible.

The statement added, "The Kingdom aspires for Lebanon to prevail in peace and security by ending the possession and use of weapons outside the framework of the state and strengthening the Lebanese state for the benefit of all Lebanese without exception."

On the other hand, France called yesterday for a "calm", and the United States called for a "stop the escalation." Both stressed the "independence of the judiciary" in Lebanon.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, called for a "cessation of provocative actions" and an "impartial investigation" into the port explosion.


The Court of Cassation in Lebanon rejected the request to disqualify Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, the judicial investigator in the Beirut port explosion case, which would allow him to resume his work.

The former Minister of Finance, Ali Hassan Khalil, and the former Minister of Works, Ghazi Zuaiter, had submitted a second request to the court to disqualify the investigator from the case, given that the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers is the reference for their trial.

The explosion of Beirut Port - on August 4, 2020 - killed at least 214 people and wounded more than 6,500 others, in addition to widespread destruction in the capital.

The authorities attributed the explosion to storing large quantities of "ammonium nitrate" without preventive measures.