Army arrests Sheikh Omar Ghosn and his son: reports

BEIRUT — Sheikh Omar Ghosn and his son were arrested by the intelligence services of the Lebanese Army on Monday evening, local media outlets report and video footage received by our sister publication L’Orient-le Jour shows.

Here’s what we know:

    • The arrests come a day after armed clashes broke out in Khaldeh, south of Beirut, between supporters of Hezbollah and members of Sunni Arab tribes living in the locality during the funeral of Hezbollah member Ali Chebli, who was shot dead on Saturday night.

    • A video received by L’Orient-Le Jour shows Ghosn saying, “We are with civil peace and living together, we are with the state and the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Army; Joseph Aoun is our leader,” before giving himself up to the army. According to local media outlets, Ghosn’s son was also arrested.

    • Omar Ghosn is seen an influential, Salafist-leaning representative of the Sunni Arab tribes in the Khaldeh area.

    • Friction between Ghosn’s community and Hezbollah supporters in Khaldeh and Ouzai regularly leads to road closures on the main route connecting the capital to Beirut’s southern suburbs and the south. Earlier on Monday, the Lebanese army announced that it had arrested one of the alleged shooters involved in Sunday’s armed clashes, which left at least two dead.