Suleiman Urges Iranian Embassy, Hizbullah to Cooperate in Probe into Assault on Protesters
President Michel Suleiman urged on Monday the Iranian embassy and Hizbullah to help investigators uncover the details of a deadly attack on protesters in the Hizbullah stronghold of Beirut's southern suburbs.
In a statement issued by Baabda palace, Suleiman stressed “the importance of the cooperation of citizens and the region's parties mainly Hizbullah, and the Iranian embassy to facilitate the mission of specialized agencies in revealing the circumstances” of the incident.
The president said unveiling the truth behind Sunday's attack would “prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.”
On Sunday, Hizbullah members wielding batons assaulted protesters from the Lebanese Option Party and killed one of them after shooting him in the abdomen outside the Iranian embassy in the neighborhood of Bir Hassan.
The demonstrators had barely time to stage their rally near the mission when they came under attack by the Hizbullah members who were wearing black shirts with yellow ribbons around their arms.
Suleiman telephoned acting General Prosecutor Judge Samir Hammoud and other security officials to speed up the investigation into the incident and “arrest the wrongdoers and the instigators,” said the presidential statement.
The Lebanese Option Party is headed by Ahmed al-Asaad, a Shiite politician who is a fierce critic of Hizbullah.
The head of al-Mustaqbal movement, ex-PM Saad Hariri, telephoned al-Asaad on Monday to condole him over the death of the protester, who was the head of the party's student committee.
He condemned the attack and said the Lebanese reject turning Hizbullah's strongholds into “security reserves.”
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