Woman in her 70s stabbed to death in Chouf

The body of a Lebanese woman in her 70s was found stabbed to death Wednesday in her home in Ain Zhalta, in the Chouf district south of Beirut, the National News Agency reported.

The Lebanese Red Cross transferred the victim’s body to Ain wa Zein Hospital in Chouf, where a medical examiner was set to conduct the necessary examinations. Security forces established a cordon around the crime scene.

According to preliminary information cited by the agency, robbery is believed to be the motive. The Internal Security Forces and the mukhtar of Ain Zhalta could not immediately be reached for comment. A tense atmosphere hung over the village Wednesday morning following what locals described as an unprecedented crime. The investigation is ongoing.

On Jan. 14, a car dealer was murdered in Dbayeh, in Metn. His killer was arrested in Beirut’s southern suburbs by the Internal Security Forces. On Jan. 27, the body of a gas station owner in Mazraat Yachouh, also in Metn, was found tied up and left inside a restroom. Authorities suspected four of his Syrian employees of killing him in a robbery.

At the beginning of February, 19-year-old Khalil Khalil was killed in Faraya, in Kesrouan, following a dispute over the right of way. Authorities issued arrest warrants for the mother and a friend of the suspected killer.