The town of Ain Ibl in South Lebanon. (Credit: Ain Ibl municipality/Facebook page)
BEIRUT — Yvette Hasrouni, the widow of a former Lebanese Forces (LF) official who was found dead in suspicious circumstances in early August in Ain Ibl in southern Lebanon, was killed in a vehicle collision on Tuesday, the president of the Ain Ibl municipality, Imad Lallous, confirmed to L'Orient Today.
Ain Ibl is a predominantly Christian village in a predominantly Shiite region. The LF and Kataeb have accused Hezbollah of being behind the death in August of Yvette Hasrouni's husband, Elias Hasrouni.
"She [Yvette Hasrouni] was with her sister, and both were heading to Rmaish [a nearby locality]," Lallous said, explaining that she reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which subsequently struck an electric pole. The Red Cross transported the sisters to a hospital in Bint Jbeil, where Yvette Hasrouni passed away, he added.
"It was indeed a car accident and nothing else," Lallous told L'Orient Today.
Lallous added that the deceased's sister suffered a broken shoulder and hand as a result of the collision.
Elias Hasrouni, 72 years old, was found dead in his car on Aug. 2 in the village of Ain Ibl. Initially, his death was reported as a car accident before the LF and Kataeb raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the death and suggested wrongdoing on the part of Hezbollah. On Friday, LF leader Samir Geagea called on the government, the judiciary and the security forces to "fulfill their roles" and continue the investigation into the death of this former party official.
'People like to tell stories'
Charles Jabbour, an LF spokesman, denied any link between Elias Hasrouni's death and the accident that killed his wife on Tuesday.
"For the moment, we think it was simply an accident. Hasrouni was trying to put on her seatbelt while driving and lost control of the vehicle," he told L'Orient-Le Jour. "The victim was an elderly woman who had been living with tragedy for two months. The investigation [into Elias Hasrouni's death] has still come to nothing, and she was in a state of permanent stress."
Interviewed by L'Orient-Le Jour, a local resident said that Yvette Hasrouni's car skidded twice before hitting the pole.
"The car skidded the first time. At that point, the victim's sister put on her seatbelt. Then she tried to help Yvette put hers on, but the vehicle skidded again and hit a pole," explained the resident, who requested anonymity. "I doubt it had anything to do with her husband's death, but people like to tell stories."
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, Internal Security Forces and the Red Cross were not immediately available to provide further details.
Salah Ghandour Hospital, where Hasrouni's wife was taken after the accident, was also not immediately available for comment.
