Violence in Sweida: Druze Sheik Akl receives support from Rai

Druze Sheik Akl, Sami Abi al-Mona, received a call Monday from Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, during which the latter "expressed his support for the Druze community and its members," at a time when violent clashes last week pitted Druze against Sunni Bedouins in Sweida, Syria.

A cease-fire that took effect Sunday brought an end to the violence, which left more than 1,000 people dead in one week.

The two religious leaders also discussed the possibility of holding a "spiritual summit to discuss the current situation and work toward civil peace and national unity," according to a statement relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The sheikh also received calls and messages of support from Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Bishop Boulos Matar, the president of the Bar Elias municipality, Rida Mays, and the Islamic-Christian Dialogue Committee member Mohammad Yassine. He also received at his home in Shanay several figures who came to offer their support.

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'Distance Lebanon from conflicts'

In a statement Monday, President Joseph Aoun praised "the rational stances of the mufti of the republic, Abdellatif Deriane, and Druze Sheik Akl, Mona, former minister Walid Joumblatt, and former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, who helped ease tensions and distance Lebanon from the conflicts surrounding it."

He also criticized those who "raised the tone in response to the unfortunate events that recently occurred in Syria."

Aoun on Monday called on Lebanese "to unite their efforts and act in an objective and responsible manner" in order to distance the country from conflicts in the region. He said his aim is to "ensure the country's security and prevent the outbreak of a war that no one will be able to withstand."

"This is an opportunity to protect Lebanon, as we did during the conflict between Israel and Iran, during which we made every effort to keep Lebanon out of the war," he said.

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Call for armed struggle in Syria: Wi'am Wahab, a lover of controversy

The events in Sweida have raised fears of spillover and sectarian tensions in Lebanon. It is in this context that Sheikhs Deriane and Mona on Friday, during a phone call, called to "avoid falling into the trap of sedition."

The head of state, chaired a meeting Friday on the "security situation" in the country, while Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Joumblatt on Sunday called for the opening of a dialogue among all parties in Syria under the authorities’ leadership. In contrast to these calls for calm, former Druze minister Wi'am Wahab, for his part, called for armed struggle in Sweida.