Army military exercises in Hamat, North Lebanon, on June 6, 2022. (Credit: Twitter/ @Lebarmy archive photo)
BEIRUT — Two men were killed on Wednesday following a clash that degenerated into gunfire in the border town of Zeita inside Syrian territory.
The men are believed to be members of the close guard of the fugitive drug trafficker Ali Zaiter, also known as "Abu Salleh," according to a security source contacted by L’Orient Today’s correspondent in the Bekaa.
According to the same source, unknown persons left the body of one victim in front of the Batoul Hospital in Hermel around 1 p.m. The corpse was found with a Lebanese ID card. Hospital management immediately informed the police, who were dispatched to the scene.
According to the hospital, another body was left in front of the morgue around 5 p.m., this time without ID.
The police were not immediately available to comment on the matter.
Weapons circulate widely in the Bekaa Valley while the state struggles to impose its authority. It is often the scene of bloody clashes between rival clans, but also sometimes between military and heavily equipped gangs.
Police have been looking for the drug trafficker known as "Abu Salleh" for over a year, following a search of his home in Baalbeck.
Reporting contributed by Sara Abdallah.