Ain al-Remmaneh Residents to Sue Nasrallah over 'Attack'

A number of Ain al-Remmaneh residents will file a lawsuit Monday against Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Annahar newspaper said.

The residents have prepared “a complete file backed with testimonies, evidence and videos proving that Ain al-Remmaneh came under a deliberate attack,” the daily added.

Seven people were killed on October 14, including five Hizbullah and Amal Movement members, during a protest organized by the two groups to demand Tarek Bitar, the judge investigating Beirut's devastating port blast, be removed.

Hizbullah and Amal accused the Lebanese Forces party, which supports the probe, of being responsible for sniper fire against the protesters that ignited street clashes. The LF denies the charges.

Fadi Akiki, a representative of the military court, has meanwhile instructed the army intelligence to summon LF leader Samir Geagea and take his statement based on information provided by arrested LF supporters.

Twenty-six people were arrested after the violence in the Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh area, most of them LF supporters. Geagea has denied responsibility for the deaths, saying that residents of Ain al-Remmaneh had "defended" themselves against "Hizbullah militiamen who tried to enter their homes." He also said that four Ain al-Remmaneh residents were injured at the hands of violent protesters, some by handgun shots, before any rounds were fired from the neighborhood.