Military drills in Hamat, in northern Lebanon, in June 6, 2022. (Twitter/@Lebarmy)
BEIRUT — A Lebanese army patrol raided the home of fugitive Ali Zeaiter, also known by his nickname "Abu Salleh," in the Charawné neighborhood of Baalbeck on Monday, according to L'Orient Le Jour's correspondent Sarah Abdallah.
Here's what we know:
• "Large quantities of drugs in one of the house's hidden basements were seized," according to our correspondent. A "pill-making device" that was "hidden in a basement, covered by cement" was also seized.
• Abu Salleh has been wanted by the Lebanese army since June 3, when violent armed clashes erupted in the same neighborhood, killing a soldier. He remains at large.
• The hunt for Abu Salleh and his accomplices has been ongoing for months. The army is conducting numerous searches in the Charawné neighborhood, in the Bekaa region of Lebanon.
• The Bekaa plain, where weapons frequently circulate as the state struggles to impose its authority, is often the site of bloody clashes between rival clans, and sometimes between military and heavily equipped gangs.