A fight at the public high school in Aley, in the Aley district, on Nov. 10, 2024. (Credit: Aley Municipality/Facebook)
Gunfire and chaos erupted, with children screaming in fear. Since Sunday, social media has been flooded with videos documenting a large-scale fight at Aley's public high school. Local media reports and confirmation to L'Orient-Le Jour from Aley Deputy Marc Daou indicated that a conflict among displaced individuals in the area had escalated into a violent confrontation.
In a statement released Monday evening, the Lebanese Army announced the arrest of three Lebanese men, K.M., A.A., and R.R., on charges of involvement in a brawl at a school in Aley that is sheltering displaced individuals. The first individual arrested, K.M., was directly involved in the incident, having fired shots. A weapon of war was seized from his possession. Authorities have launched an investigation. As of Tuesday, the Lebanese Army has not released additional information regarding the motives behind the violent clash.
A displaced woman mourns son killed in Israeli strike
In an interview, MP Marc Daou elaborated on the factors contributing to the recent violence. "Residents displaced from Baalbeck traveled to Aley to visit displaced friends and family.” A displaced woman learned that her son had been killed in an Israeli strike," continued the founder of the Taqaddom party. "Some individuals displaced by the conflict justified the killing, claiming the victim was affiliated with Hezbollah. This allegation inflamed tensions, further angering other pro-Hezbollah residents and escalating the situation." He sighed, offering no further details about those involved.
"The incident, lasting approximately two to three minutes, prompted the intervention of municipal police to de-escalate the situation," the deputy explained, corroborating the army's report on the number of arrests. No injuries were reported, and the situation in Aley returned to normal within two days," he stated. “The circumstances surrounding the altercation remain unclear, as the situation escalated rapidly, leading to confusion."
‘Cease providing gifts to the Israeli enemy’
To de-escalate the tensions, the municipality of Aley released a statement on social media Sunday evening, a few hours after the incident occurred. "Rumors and unsubstantiated claims are circulating about today's unfortunate incident ... The municipality clarifies that its crisis unit has been working around the clock since the start of the Israeli aggression to provide dignified assistance to displaced individuals,” the statement read.
“However, a group of young individuals, who were not officially registered as displaced persons, arrived at a local accommodation center today. When questioned about their intentions, they declined to respond. The incident caused a brief moment of panic, but the situation was soon brought under control,” it added.
The municipality also emphasized the need for increased empathy and understanding toward displaced individuals and the host community during these challenging times. They called for increased “cooperation, communication and coordination, emphasizing the need to avoid internal divisions and cease providing any form of gifts to the Israeli enemy.”
Since the escalation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon began on Sept. 23, several villages in the Aley district, including Keyfoun, Qmatieh and Ain al-Rummaneh, have been targeted by bombardment. The first two localities, which are predominantly Shiite, and the third, which is Christian, have become home to a significant number of Shiite displaced individuals from southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Since the escalation of the conflict, several incidents involving tensions between host populations and displaced persons have been reported across the country, raising concerns about potential communal strife.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.