Celebratory shooting after cease-fire: 1 killed, Lebanese Army arrests 9 suspects

BEIRUT — “Celebratory” gunfire in Beirut’s southern suburbs after midnight Friday, following the implementation of the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, killed one person, according to Civil Defense, while the Lebanese Army said it arrested seven shooters.

Minutes after the cease-fire took effect, bursts of gunfire, including machine guns and B7 rockets, rang out, particularly in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The shooting lasted nearly an hour and spread panic among residents.

No official casualty toll has been released. Contacted by L’Orient-Le Jour, Civil Defense said one person was killed by a stray bullet and that significant damage was reported to cars and solar panels in the area.

The Red Cross did not provide figures on casualties or injuries, but initial reports indicated two killed.

The Lebanese Army said Friday it had arrested seven Lebanese nationals, one Syrian, and one Palestinian suspected of taking part in the celebratory gunfire.

“An investigation has been opened with the detainees, who will be referred to the competent authorities. Efforts are ongoing to arrest others involved,” the army said.

Further condemnation of this recurring phenomenon in Lebanon came from the Lebanese Forces (LF), which are staunchly opposed to Hezbollah. The party said the gunfire amounted to “a new front in the southern suburbs” and called on the state to “mobilize and implement the government’s decisions” on disarmament.

Another critic of the party-militia, Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi, denounced “a dangerous act of intimidation against civilians.” “Residents endured more than an hour of terror, reviving the nightmares of war,” he said, referring to “innocent civilian victims.”

According to him, the shooting proves “once again that the presence of weapons outside the framework of the state constitutes a direct threat to the security of the Lebanese people.” He also pointed to an initiative by several Beirut MPs that led to a Cabinet decision last week to fully disarm non-state groups in the capital.