A vehicle riddled with bullets after an exchange of fire in Mashghara, Bekaa, on Oct. 11, 2022. (Courtesy of Sarah Abdallah/L'Orient Today))
BEIRUT — An armed clash between two families in Hermel in the Bekaa erupted on Monday, resulting in two people being injured, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the area.
According to a security source quoted by our correspondent, the fight started between members of the Hamadeh family and the owner of a tire repair shop from the Awad family. The two reportedly disagreed over the repair of a tire, with the dispute escalating into a physical fight and later degenerating into gunfire directed toward the store. The Awad family retaliated by firing heavy weapons, which resulted in one member from the Chamas family being injured.
According to the state-run National News Agency, a second person was shot and wounded when several men from the Hamadeh family opened fire on him from a vehicle passing in front of the Serail in Hermel.
The army arrested a suspect from the Hamadeh family after conducting a series of searches of homes belonging to both families.
On Sunday, a wounded prisoner escaped from Sheikh Ragheb Harb Hospital in Nabatieh, South Lebanon. The man is suspected of involvement in clashes between rival families that occurred less than a month ago in Mashghara in West Bekaa. The suspect was being treated for injuries sustained during the Mashghara incident and had been detained by an order from the military prosecution.
Armed clashes in the Bekaa are not unusual as the area, which includes many tribal armed families, and where the already weak rule of law has been further undermined by the unprecedented economic crisis in which Lebanon has been mired since 2019.
Additional reporting by Sarah Abdallah
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