Gas cylinders and a burnt-out vehicle, on March 20, 2025, three days after clashes between Lebanese clans and Syrian forces in the Lebanese village of Qasr, near Hosh al-Sayed Ali, in Hermel. (Credit: Emmanuel Haddad/L'Orient-Le Jour)
Two young members of the Jaafar family were shot in the legs on Friday while they were in the vicinity of the town of al-Qasr, in the Hermel region (northern Bekaa), along the Lebanese-Syrian border, according to our correspondent in the area.
They were transported to a hospital in Lebanese territory.
An investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the incident and identify the gunmen. The Lebanese Army deployed reinforcements to the scene, our correspondent added.
Two young Lebanese had been kidnapped 10 days ago in the same area, which has regularly witnessed clashes since the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus in December 2024, before being handed over a few hours later by the new Syrian security forces.
Tensions in this area stem from the unmarked border with Syria and the waning influence of Hezbollah and the Shiite clans associated with the locality, including into the Syrian region of Qussair, in favor of the new Sunni Islamist coalition in power in Syria. The Jaafars are one of the main Shiite families residing in this region on the Lebanese side.
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