Daryan: Those who Violated Beirut Security Must be Held Accountable

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan on Tuesday called for holding accountable “all those who violated Beirut's security,” after a wave of post-electoral security disturbances in the capital.

“The security of Lebanon and the Lebanese is the responsibility of the army and security forces, and such acts that insult Beirut and its residents should not be repeated,” Daryan said during a visit to Abu Dhabi.

He lamented that the capital's residents had lived “a night of tension and horror.”

“Had it not been for the wisdom of the president, the parliament speaker and the prime minister, in addition to the deployment of the Lebanese Army and security forces, Beirut would have been plunged into chaos and strife,” the Mufti cautioned.

“All those who violated Beirut's security and its streets with acts that contradict with morals, good neighborliness and the rule of law must be held accountable,” Daryan stressed.

The National News Agency reported Monday that “gunmen on motorbikes raised partisan flags on the monument of Martyr Premier Rafik Hariri in the St. Georges area before moving to Aisha Bakkar, where they attacked a number of vehicles and opened fire without causing casualties.”

A video circulated on social media showed a fistfight that involved the use of batons near the Aisha Bakkar Mosque. The clash erupts after dozens of young men arrive in the area on motorbikes, carrying Hizbullah and AMAL Movement flags. The video shows them clashing with young men carrying al-Mustaqbal Movement flags.

Several other convoys had roamed Beirut's streets over the past two days, celebrating a major victory for Hizbullah, AMAL and their allies in the parliamentary elections.