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Clashes erupted between rival SSNP branches in Beit Shabab Saturday

Two contradictory versions are circulating within the party about the incident.

Clashes erupted between rival SSNP branches in Beit Shabab Saturday

Armed SSNP activists during a parade in Beirut's Hamra neighborhood on Sept. 24, 2021. (File photo Twitter/@MajdBHarb)

BEIRUT — "I am now afraid in my own village": Nada, who has always lived in Beit Shabab, tells L'Orient-Le jour that she was awoken at 3 a.m. on Friday night by "gunfire that lasted half an hour."

What the resident of this Metn village was hearing was armed clashes erupting between members of rival branches of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP).

The incident did not result in any injuries, according to the head of the municipality of Beit Shabab, Elias Achkar. While the exact circumstances surrounding the clashes remain unclear, it appears they pitted supporters of former minister Assaad Hardan, who was reappointed as head of the SSNP in 2016 and then stepped down after a strong wave of internal protest, against those of its current chairman, Rabih Banat. Since Hardan relinquished his position, his relationship with the party has become strained.

'Organized mafia' vs. 'gang of usurpers'

The official SSNP website was quick to react in a statement published Saturday. "An office of the party being renovated has been the subject of two ransacking and invasion attempts by armed groups affiliated with a personality whose hands are stained with the blood of the innocent and the money of the State Treasury," the text said.

A former SSNP spokesman, who spoke to L’Orient-Le Jour on condition of anonymity said Sunday that “the building belongs to the affiliates of Banat, and those who attacked it are men of Hardan. It is well known." 

Attempts by L'Orient-Le Jour to reach Hardan for comment were unsuccessful.

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In February 2021, a handful of armed pro-Hardan militiamen occupied a party office in Batroun (North Lebanon), causing tension in the city.

The SSNP statement states that armed individuals "tried to occupy the building by firing shots for a long time, in a hostile and barbaric way, in the manner of terrorists and mafia. But they failed and left without getting what they wanted." The text goes on to denounce "an organized mafia … a gang that behaves according to an illegal and anti-state logic" and urges the security and judicial apparatus to punish those responsible "with an iron fist."

But Maan Hamiyeh, who presents himself as the SSNP's "head of media" and claims to be affiliated with Hardan, defends a completely different version of events. Hamiyeh's version is published on another site, which claims to be a part of the party.

This second text denounces "a band of armed usurpers who invaded a building in Beit Shabab that belongs to the SSNP, rented under contract to a private individual. They kidnapped and tortured the tenant and then threw him into the street, after stealing his phone, his papers and his rental contract." The statement adds that a complaint will be filed about the incident.

"We call on residents of Metn not to give in to the plans of this armed gang, which is executing a dubious agenda to distort the image of the SSNP in the eyes of the people of Beit Shabab," the text continues. "We represent the official, legal SSNP, which is recognized and empowered by the state," Hamiyeh told L'Orient-Le Jour. "The party is divided, and these people are trying to set up a mafia,"he said.

The municipality is 'neutral'

The head of the municipality of Beit Shabab, Achkar, told L'Orient-Le Jour that "the army arrived and quickly calmed them [the rival shooters] down," adding that no one was injured. "They are shooting at each other, I don't want to get involved in these stories," he said, adding that he wanted to "remain neutral.”

"The only thing I know is that the owner of the place is not linked to the SSNP and that this place is not theirs by right," he aded.

When contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the Lebanese Army said it had no information on this incident.

The leader of the Kataeb party, Samy Gemayel, published a tweet on Saturday, saying that "the clashes in Beit Shabab are unacceptable."

"We call on the security forces to prevent the repetition of these abuses, made by a party that knows only violence and crime, including in its internal affairs," he continued.


He concluded by saying, "To the people of Beit Shebab, we are by your side and we will do everything we can to ensure that you are safe at home. The unofficial website of the SSNP affiliated to Assaad Hardan responded to Gemayel, calling his party "murderous." The Kataeb and the SSNP are known to be historical rivals.

BEIRUT — "I am now afraid in my own village": Nada, who has always lived in Beit Shabab, tells L'Orient-Le jour that she was awoken at 3 a.m. on Friday night by "gunfire that lasted half an hour."What the resident of this Metn village was hearing was armed clashes erupting between members of rival branches of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP).The incident did not result in any...