Army Intervenes after 'Armed Clash' in Bourj Abi Haidar
A clash erupted Wednesday in Beirut's Bourj Abi Haidar area between gunmen from two political parties over banners related to the Shiite religious occasion of Ashura, state-run National News Agency reported.
No casualties were reported as the army intervened and staged patrols in the district, NNA said.
Meanwhile, the AMAL Movement and the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (al-Ahbash) issued a joint statement denying any involvement in the incident.
The two parties also condemned what they described as “some media outlets' rush to circulate malicious rumors without verifying the facts.”
Earlier in the day, MTV said gunshots were fired into the air during a clash between members of AMAL and al-Ahbash.
It said the dispute erupted after “a woman belonging to al-Ahbash was harassed.”
Pictures circulated on social networking websites showed gunmen carrying Kalashnikov machineguns on Bourj Abi Haidar's streets.
“AMAL and al-Ahbash officials are exerting efforts to contain the situation and prevent any repercussions,” MTV said.
Y.R.
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