Army Contains Tension Between Hizbullah and Mustaqbal

 

The Lebanese Army on Tuesday opened fire in the air to disperse angry crowds from the Al -Mustaqbal movement and Hezbollah in Beirut”s Basta district, a security source reported.

 

The source told Naharnet a group of Al -Mustaqbal Movement supporters were re-erecting a poster of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri when they were attacked by Hezbollah supporters in this densely-populated district of Beirut

 

The Hariri poster, according to the source, was torn apart Monday night by unidentified assailants. Al -Mustaqbal Movement , which is headed by Lebanon’s parliament majority leader Saad Hariri, lodged a complaint with the security authorities against the attack.

 

The Al -Mustaqbal Movement was allowed to re-erect the poster that had been registered with the Beirut Municipality and for which legal fees had already been paid.

 

The army intervened when the Al -Mustaqbal supporters were attacked, opened fire in the air to disperse both groups and avert a clash between the Sunni and Shiite factions, the source added.

 

Army units cordoned off the district and its environs demanding surrender of the Hezbollah members, who tried to prevent Al -Mustaqbal from re-erecting the poster, added the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Seven individuals were arrested by the army the local media reported.