Burnt school buses in Karkaf, Akkar governorate on June 26, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Unidentified people burnt school buses early Monday morning in a Karkaf, Akkar village school belonging to the former mayor, Yehya Rifai, who is suspected of orchestrating the murder of his cousin Sheikh Ahmad Rifai in February. The killing sparked outrage and tensions in the village.
The fire spread until it reached some municipal equipment stored near the buses, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported, citing local residents.
Since the body of Ahmad Rifai, a religious leader, was found a week after the crime, tensions have been high in Karkaf.
In March, students, parents and teachers from the local Rafic Hariri public school staged a sit-in demanding the reopening of the school, which had closed amid fear of potential violence after Rifai's murder.
Sheikh Rifai was known for his hostile stance towards Hezbollah and the pro-Iranian axis in Lebanon.
Five suspects were arrested in connection with his abduction and murder, including Yehya Rifai's son and nephews. Preliminary investigations suggest that his abductors lured him into an ambush after a family dispute.