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Stray bullets land near Japanese ambassador's residence in Baabda

Stray bullets land near Japanese ambassador's residence in Baabda

The stray bullet reportedly found on Thursday near the Japanese ambassador to Lebanon's house. (Credit: Twitter/@TakeshiOkubo3)

BEIRUT — For the second time in one year, stray bullets, “most likely from a Kalashnikov-type” gun, landed "in the premises" of the Japanese ambassador to Lebanon’s house, the ambassador tweeted in Arabic Thursday. His residence is located in Baabda, in Mount Lebanon.

The bullet "didn't hurt anyone," the ambassador, Takeshi Okubo, said. He urged citizens to “stop shooting in the air so that this does not turn into harm or tragedy for others.”

In May, a stray bullet, presumably from celebratory gunfire following the announcement of parliamentary election results, was found in Okubo's garden.

Celebratory gunfire is illegal in Lebanon. In 2016, Parliament passed Law No. 71/2016 criminalizing shooting firearms into the air and punishing shooters with prison terms ranging from six months to three years — 10 years of hard labor plus a fine if the gunfire results in loss of life.

Despite this legislation, celebratory gunfire has remained a commonplace. According to Beirut-based research center Information International, between 2010 and 2021, stray bullets caused on average seven deaths and 15 injuries a year.

On Saturday, Lebanon's Intelligence Directorate arrested former MP Othman Alameddine for firing a military weapon into the air in Minieh. But in the evening, Alameddine was released on bail and his case was transferred to the Military Court, our correspondent reported.

BEIRUT — For the second time in one year, stray bullets, “most likely from a Kalashnikov-type” gun, landed "in the premises" of the Japanese ambassador to Lebanon’s house, the ambassador tweeted in Arabic Thursday. His residence is located in Baabda, in Mount Lebanon.The bullet "didn't hurt anyone," the ambassador, Takeshi Okubo, said. He urged citizens to “stop shooting in the air so...