A funeral procession moves through Bibnine, Akkar for two al-Jamaa al-Islamiya members who were killed in an Israeli attack. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
On Sunday, dozens of hooded, heavily armed fighters marched in the town of Bibnine, Akkar as part of the funeral procession of two members of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a Sunni Islamist group. The two had been killed on Friday in an Israeli strike in west Bekaa.
In addition to Hezbollah’s frequent muscle-flexing, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya is now also showing off its arsenal amid a broader security breakdown in Lebanon.
During Sunday’s funeral procession, armed men fired heavily in the air, even shooting RPG anti-tank rockets amid a crowd of onlookers. Four people were injured by the stray bullets, including a child.
Discontent among residents — including the father of one of the stray bullet victims, who spoke out on TV — was palpable, even if some of them sympathize with the locally popular al-Jamaa al-Islamiya and its “martyrs.”
Others in Akkar accused the group of putting people in danger with its heavy funeral shooting.
Still, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya was quick to wash its hands of the incident, saying in a statement that it “regrets the shootings which cause panic and fear among the Lebanese.”
Bassem Hammoud, the deputy leader of the party’s political bureau, told L’Orient-Le Jour that the “few dozen” members present at the funeral were strictly ordered not to shoot.
Moreover, Sheikh Said Khalaf, a relative of the two killed fighters commemorated in the funeral, urged the crowd via the loudspeaker of a mosque to stop shooting, according to local news.
“Al-Jamaa forbids the carrying of weapons under any circumstances domestically,” Hammoud added.
“In this particular case, we let [the carrying of weapons] happen because we wanted to make a show of force intended to the Israeli enemy, not to direct our weapons inside Lebanon,” he said.
Still, he categorically denied that his party’s supporters were the ones shooting at the funeral.
While al-Jamaal- al-Islamiya wishes to fight from Lebanon in support of Hamas’ Gaza fight, to which it is ideologically similar, it fears assimilation with Hezbollah, with which it has historically had a rocky relationship — even if the two groups share a common enemy.
Hammoud insisted that his party “stands for the rule of law,” stressing that firing into the air is prohibited by “The Islamic Sharia Law, and under the [Lebanese] Laws.”
“We have always refused to turn our weapons against our fellow Lebanese,” the official added.
Then who was it?
But if it wasn’t al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, who fired RPG rockets into the air in the middle of a residential area on Sunday? According to Ahmad al-Ayoubi, an expert on Islamist movements, many of those who marched with their weapons in the funeral procession were not affiliated with al-Jamaa al-Islamiya.
“There are many family clans, armed to the teeth, in the Akkar localities. These localities are also home to the Resistance Brigades, a Sunni group affiliated with Hezbollah,” Ayoubi said.
“[Armed] groups from Tripoli and thePalestinian camp in Beddawi, are also present. This is on top of enthusiasts from all sides ready to seize the slightest opportunity to shoot,” he said.
Hammoud said that the chaos on Sunday eventually led the Lebanese Army, which had initially been asked by al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya to maintain order, to withdraw as soon as the shooting started. “The army had no choice and withdrew to avoid a massacre,” said the official.
According to a military strategist who requested anonymity, the troop command had warned the organizers that the presence of weapons would not be tolerated — to no avail. The soldiers had to retreat at the sight of the impressive arsenal to avoid harm, he added
“But this will not pass. Those responsible for the shooting will be sanctioned,” said a security source on condition of anonymity, who added that an investigation has already been opened.
Recurrence
Fear of a similar incident was one of the reasons why al-Jamaa al-Islamiya postponed the funeral for 48 hours, in a bid to “calm things down” and better control the ceremony. Despite this, it failed,” said Hassan Kotob, a researcher and political analyst formerly affiliated with the group.
Sunday’s incident is the second time in recent weeks that weapons have been brandished at the funerals of al-Jamaa al-Islamiya members.
On March 18, a similar scenario occurred in Beirut, in the Sunni neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh. “I’m not necessarily accusing al-Jamaa al-Islamiya of the shootings. But I do blame them for this anarchy,” said Kotob.
In a statement issued jointly with anti-Hezbollah MP Ashraf Rifi, former MP Mustapha Alloush, and the head of the Salafist Movement’s political bureau Hassan Chahal, Kotob denounced this “non-controlled armed display, which undermines the prestige of the state.”
“This show suits Hezbollah perfectly,” who will take advantage of it to say that it is not the only armed group in the country, said Kotob, at a time when Hezbollah’s arsenal is at the heart of negotiations for a political settlement to the war in south Lebanon.
These figures said they believe that what’s important is that the Sunni community — once accused by the pro-Hezbollah camp of radicalism and complicity with Sunni jihadists — does not copy the model set up by Hezbollah, which they typically consider to be an armed militia undermining state power.
From the outset of military operations launched from south Lebanon in October, Hezbollah invited Sunni factions, both Lebanese and Palestinian, to take part in its fight.
This is a cover Hezbollah needed all the more as its Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), gave up on it along the way.
“The spectacle of the armed procession in Akkar does not contradict Hezbollah’s orientations, insofar as it serves the option of resistance within the Sunni community,” said Kassem Kassir, an expert on Hezbollah issues.
Hezbollah did not respond to requests for comment on the Bibnine funeral shooting or injuries.