Report: PSP Says Qabrshmoun Incident Targets Jumblat

The Progressive Socialist Party said that Sunday’s Qabrshmoun incident was part of a campaign aiming to limit the role of Druze leader and PSP chief Walid Jumblat and that it began with “sizing down” his representation in the Cabinet, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

Unnamed PSP sources told the daily that the deadly incident in the Aley village of Qabrshmoun was the latest in a series of episodes meant to target Jumblat.

“The campaign began when the ministerial representation of Jumblat’s bloc in the new Cabinet was sized down, followed by appointments in public administrations, the Choueifat incident and many other events,” they said.

They emphasized that PSP ministers “will express firmly the position of the party with emphasis on holding the other side responsible,” in reference to Foreign Minister and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and what was described as his “instigating” visit to the region.

On Sunday, two guards of State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib, were killed when gunmen opened fire at the Minister’s convoy in the mountain village of Qabshmoun near Beirut.

The shooting came as supporters of Druze leader Jumblat, closed roads to prevent Bassil from touring the region. Bassil and al-Gharib are allies.

The PSP said in a statement that al-Gharib's guards opened fire "randomly" at a group of people who were closing the road to prevent Bassil from passing. It said a PSP supporter was wounded in the shooting, and that others who had weapons opened fire at al-Gharib's convoy, killing two of his guards.