The heights of Qornet al-Sawda. (Credit: Samih Zaatar/File)
BEIRUT — Two men were shot dead near Qornet al-Sawda, Lebanon's highest peak, the Lebanese Army announced on Sunday, confirming earlier reports of a tense situation in the area.
Security situations are not uncommon in Qornet al-Sawda, caused by conflicts between the residents of Bsharri and the Bqaa Safrin locality in Dinnieh, often due to a land dispute and water supply issues.
In its Sunday press release, the army said it had arrested several suspects and seized heavy weapons.
On Saturday evening, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) was the first to report that two men were found shot dead in Qornet al-Sawda
The two victims are Haitham Tawk and Malek Tawk, according to locals in Bsharri, who said seven other civilians were also wounded in the conflict.
Army helicopters could be observed making rounds near the mountain on Saturday, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region. The army has since closed all roads leading to the peak.
The NNA reported that first investigating judge of North Lebanon, Samaranda Nassar, visited the government hospital in Bsharri and then the Notre-Dame hospital in Zgharta, where the remains of the victims were transferred.
Attorney General at the North Lebanon Court of Appeal Mathilda Touma called on the judicial authorities to take all necessary measures in the case, the NNA reported.
Condemnations and appeals for peace
Bqaa Safrin municipality condemned the alleged double homicide and offered its condolences to the Tawk family. It also called on the media not to associate the region of Dinnieh and the village of Bqaa Safrin with this incident, "which could have dangerous repercussions."
Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he was monitoring the situation.
"We condemn this incident and those responsible will be arrested, so that justice can be done," Mikati said in a statement issued by his press office.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he urged the people of Bqaa Safrin and Dinnieh not to "let themselves be carried away by rumors while waiting for the truth."
He said he spoke with Faysal Karameh (MP for Tripoli/Minieh/Dinnieh) and urged him to "handle this matter wisely." He also spoke with Sethrida Geagea (MP for Bsharri), who previously condemned "the murder of Haitham Tawk by unknown gunmen."
Karameh issued a statement denouncing the "tragic incident that claimed the life" of Haitham Tawk. "We condemn any use of violence to resolve disputes between Lebanese," he added, calling on the judiciary and security forces to "act swiftly to find the truth."
He also urged the media not to "portray this affair as a dispute between the inhabitants of Dinnieh and Bqaa Safrin, on the one hand, and Bsharri on the other, and to wait for justice."
In a statement, Geagea said she contacted the army Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun to ask him to send military units to the scene.
On Saturday evening, MP Ashraf Rifi said he Samir Geagea, the head of the Lebanese Forces, to "stress the responsibility of the state agencies to arrest and prosecute the murderer, and to wisely address the repercussions of the crime."
Rifi issued a statement after the phone call.
"I confirmed with Geagea that the priority lies in achieving justice, and we are all confident that the aim of the crime is to create strife between the regions of Bsharri and Dinnieh, which we will overcome," Rifi said in his statement. "This crime is suspicious ... We fear an orchestrated sedition, and we assure our people in Bsharri that their martyr is the martyr of all Lebanese people, and we stand with them until the murderer is arrested and prosecuted."
On Sunday morning, Marada Movement leader and presidential candidate Sleiman Frangieh commented on the incident via Twitter: "My deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims; may their blood be sanctified on the altar of national unity."
"We call for wisdom and to bar the road to any division, and urge the security and judicial authorities to work quickly to find the truth and render justice," Frangieh added.
Religious reactions
Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian, Lebanon's highest Sunni authority, also called on MP Karameh to "help calm things down and adopt a reasonable and wise attitude," reported the NNA."There is a fifth column seeking to stir up division and take advantage of a troubled situation."
In his Sunday homily, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai expressed his "sorrow" at the events at Qornet al-Sawda and offered his condolences to the victims' families.
"We are counting on the army to restore order in the interests of all, and on the inhabitants of Becharreh to show restraint," Rai declared, adding that the frequent disputes in the region must be placed "under the umbrella of justice."
"We strongly condemn what happened in Qornet al-Saouda and reject antagonism, animosity, murder and security disorder," said Jaafarite Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Kabalan, reputedly close to Hezbollah, in a statement.
"We warn against sectarian and political recuperation, and affirm that what happened is a heinous, abominable and unacceptable crime," Kabalan added, calling for justice and the prevention of "division."
Meanwhile, The Mufti of Tripoli and the North, Sheikh Muhammad Imam, and the Archbishop of the Maronite Diocese of Tripoli, Metropolitan Youssef Soueif, said “the loss of precious and dear lives from the town of Bsharri is a sad and painful event."
"Dar al-Fatwa and the Maronite Archbishopric call upon the people who have lived side by side for hundreds of years in the regions of Bsharri and Dinnieh, that this incident will only increase their insistence on national cohesion, awareness and ability to contain this common pain," they said in a joint statement.