Cover photo from the Baaqlin municipality Facebook page (@Baladeyat Baakline)
A video capturing a brief clash — filmed from a nearby building — has been circulating on social media since Sunday. The altercation involved residents of Baaqlin in the Chouf and passengers in a black car at a roundabout. The head of the municipality, Abdallah Sleimane al-Ghossayni, whom we contacted, downplayed the incident, explaining that it was a routine vehicle check supervised by the municipality, during which tensions rose on Sunday afternoon. He clarified that the incident had been exaggerated and did not involve Hezbollah, contrary to some social media claims.
The municipality assists in monitoring traffic and verifying the identities of displaced individuals settling in the area for security reasons, as security forces lack sufficient personnel for this task. The tone simply escalated a bit during one of these checks, which happens sometimes. Hezbollah is not involved, and there’s not much more to it,” he told us.
This incident occurred as the Chouf district was targeted by several Israeli bombings, including one that struck a Hezbollah member who survived the pager explosions.
What the video shows
The video, lasting just over a minute and seemingly recorded with a mobile phone, shows a clash between two agitated men in the street near a roundabout. They are seen shouting and pushing a man who had exited a car to the floor and eventually forcing him back into the passenger seat. A man is seen checking the trunk. Around 10 people appear in the video, including one, of the two men, who admonishes the vehicle driver, unseen on camera, before instructing him to move along. A man wearing a traditional Druze hat is among those trying to calm the two men. The vehicle eventually drives away. Throughout the video, at least one child's voice can be heard crying, seemingly from the back seat of the car. Toward the end, two women’s voices, likely near the person filming, are heard commenting on the scene.
What was said on social media
On his X account, user Metraton, who shared the video, claimed it shows "refugees expelled from Baaqlin," referring to individuals internally displaced by Israeli bombings. In his post, the user claims that they are "Hezbollah supporters who stole a Druze religious outfit to disguise themselves," stating that they had then "tried to buy a costume but were unsuccessful." He added that the individuals in question were hired by a nationalist Syrian sheikh named Salim Hamadeh, whom he described as a pariah.
"The expulsions carried out by the people in the Druze mountains have begun," the user, who identifies as a Druze philosopher and independent journalist, remarked with satisfaction. His username references an archangel recognized by the three major monotheistic religions.
The video has been shared by other accounts, including Jezzine News, which offered a more measured description, referring to it as a "fight involving a displaced family" and adding ironically, "Welcome to the land of civilization and culture."
The local magazine Azhar, which also shared the video on X, described it as a "clash that erupted yesterday between young men from Baaqlin and displaced individuals ... following a meeting of Druze political and spiritual leaders."
The referenced meeting, attended by Druze Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona, Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, former Displaced Persons Minister Talal Arslan, and Sheikh Nasreddine al-Gharib, was held on Saturday in Baadaran, in the Chouf district, according to the National News Agency (NNA).