Soldiers deployed on a road leading to the village of Ersal, in the Bekaa. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP archives)
BEIRUT — A suspect was killed and more than ten others who are wanted for alleged drug trafficking and theft were arrested during a search by the Lebanese Army in Brital and Hor Taala, in the eastern part of the Bekaa, on Sunday night, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
Here's what we know:
• An exchange of fire took place between the army and the wanted suspects while the army searched their homes. A suspect was wounded and then transferred to a hospital in the area where he later died. The army was able to arrest more than ten others and seize weapons, ammunition, and facilities used for the manufacture of various drugs. Access to the villages of Brital and Hor Taala has been blocked and the search continues.
• The security situation in Lebanon has deteriorated significantly in recent years, as the country is going through the worst world's worst financial crises since the 1850s, according to the World Bank. The Bekaa valley, where weapons circulate massively, is often the scene of bloody clashes between the military and heavily equipped gangs, while the state struggles to impose its authority.
Additional reporting by Sarah Abdallah.