A Lebanese soldier destroying cannabis crops in the village of Zarazir, Baalbeck, Aug. 20, 2025. (Credit: Photo from the X account @LebarmyOfficial)
Two men were killed on Saturday in Baalbeck, and rocket fire targeted army positions in the area, amid tensions that shook the Charawneh and al-Kial neighborhoods in Baalbeck. The incidents occurred during large-scale operations by the Lebanese Army in Charawneh, a region in northern Bekaa where anti-narcotics operations have intensified, according to our correspondent Sarah Abdallah and a military statement.
The first person killed during the morning operations was identified as Ali Abbas Jaafar. He was wanted by the judiciary and had several arrest warrants issued against him. The second man, Hussein Abdo Noun, attempted to run over soldiers with his off-road vehicle at a checkpoint in al-Kial (Baalbeck) in the afternoon after refusing to stop, our correspondent reports. His body was taken to Dar el Amal Hospital.
Light and medium-weapon clashes initially occurred between the army and wanted members of the Jaafar clan near the Al-Mokhtar factory, then spread into the neighborhoods after the suspects opened fire on the army, prompting a military response.
In the area, where a significant security presence is deployed, tension remains high, punctuated by sporadic explosions, light artillery and rocket fire, while the army has closed off access to the neighborhood to continue its search operations.
The army stated in a communiqué that one of its posts in Charawneh was hit by RPG rocket fire, and other posts also came under bursts of gunfire from armed men, without casualties among the soldiers. The attackers are being actively pursued for arrest, the army added.
At the end of September, a major operation targeting drug traffickers and led by the Lebanese Army was launched in Dar el-Wassaa, near Yammouneh and Deir al-Ahmar, two Bekaa towns known for extensive cannabis cultivation. A Lebanese Army drone also carried out a strike in the Jurd of Yammouneh, killing Hassan Abbas Jaafar, nicknamed “the Hawk,” a member of the clan known for involvement in drug trafficking. Two other members of the clan were also injured.
The Lebanese Army, responsible for disarming Hezbollah militias, is also actively involved in combating drug trafficking and destroying cannabis fields alongside the Anti-Narcotics Brigade of the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Among the traffickers are members of powerful clans who have long benefited from Hezbollah’s protection.
