On 7 September 2020, small-scale armed clashes occurred in cities across Lebanon, including in Beirut, Tripoli and Baalbek. In Beirut, armed fighting occurred in the neighborhood of al-Tariq al-Jadideh and involved groups of young men armed with high-powered firearms and rocket-propelled grenades. The fighting killed one person and injured two others. The neighborhood is a stronghold of former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, but it is unclear whether al-Hariri’s supporters were involved in the violence. Hariri’s brother issued a statement condemning the violence and calling for an investigation.
Meanwhile in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, two groups engaged in a gunbattle before military personnel intervened and arrested the gunmen. There were no reports of casualties in the event.
In Baalbek, armed clashes broke out in the al-Sharawneh neighborhood between members of two different families; one person was killed in the clashes. Local authorities stated that the fighting started after a man from one of the families killed a man from the other in a purported revenge killing.
