The funeral of the victims, on July 3, 2023 in Bsharri. (Credit: Suzanne Baaklini / L'Orient-Le Jour).
Some twenty people have been arrested for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the death of Haitham Tok, whose body was found on Saturday afternoon in Qornet al-Sawda, Lebanon's highest point, according to a lawyer following the case.
Another man was also found dead on Saturday. The incident provoked a wave of condemnation in the country from numerous officials, including members of parliament and religious dignitaries.
At the funerals of the two victims, which began at 5pm, lawyer Tony Chidiac told L'Orient-Le Jour that some twenty people from the Dennieh region have been arrested in the investigation into the murder of Haitham Tok.
Additionally, six people from Bsharri are currently being questioned as witnesses in the case, added Chidiac.
The circumstances surrounding the Saturday murders, which took place in an area disputed between the inhabitants of Bsharri and Bkaasafrine (Dennieh), are still unclear.
Various versions of the events have been put forward. Some claimed shots were fired between the two groups, others presumed a clash with the army or the involvement of Hezbollah.
The funerals of the victims took place Monday in a heavy atmosphere with an angry crowd gathered at the site.
Several members of parliament and the Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai were also present.
'No compromise'
"This is not a simple incident," Rai said at the funeral. "We must establish borders [delimit public properties] in Qornet al-Sawda region and put an end to divisions," he continued, calling for the culprits to be found.
"We are all under the yoke of the law and justice. If justice had done its job, we wouldn't have come to this," Rai said.
After the funeral mass, MP William Tawk — who is close to the Marada movement— asserted that "no compromise" would be made on the matter.
"We want the murderers arrested and punished, and the borders at Qornet al-Sawda demarcated once and for all," he said, asserting that the people of Bsharri "will not wait indefinitely" for justice to be achieved.
Tawk added that they "are not against the people of Dennieh, but against a particular group" of people.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Union of Dennieh Municipalities deplored the "shameful incident," offering condolences to the families of the victims and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
"Whoever was behind [the murders] must be tried and punished and we firmly reject what some people are saying, namely that there would be a problem between the residents of Bsharri and those of Dennieh."
"The pain of the Bsharri's people is our pain... It is clear that this incident is absolutely unacceptable, and the army is the sole guardian of peace," the statement added.
Additional reporting by Suzanne Baaklini.