Tension in Upper Metn, Central Bekaa Following Death of Rally Participant
Tension was reported in Upper Metn and Central Bekaa following the death on Sunday of Lutfi Zeineddine from injuries he suffered during a knife attack as he headed home from a weekend rally by March 14 Forces.
Zeineddine, 50, was a member of Walid Jumblat”s Progressive Socialist Party.
News reports said Jumblat stepped in to prevent blockage of the main Damascus highway after angry crowds climbed the road on Sunday toward Bhamdoun in an effort to close it.
An Nahar said Jumblat personally helped remove road barricades.
A similar attempt to close the Jlala-Taalbaya road in response to the bid to block the Damascus highway was also thwarted after security forces rushed troops to keep the situation under control.
Meanwhile, the daily Al Mustaqbal said assailants on motorbikes attacked two Lebanese citizens on the Khalde highway south of Beirut late Sunday.
It said Roy Aql, who was driving his bike with a friend sitting behind, was intercepted by a group of men on 10 motorcycles as the two headed from south Lebanon to Beirut.
The assailants beat up Aql and his companion and snatched their cell phones and cash, according to the daily.
Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, meanwhile, said the weekend violence and tension warn of an "alarming phenomenon."
"Whatever the reason, there is no justification for stabbing or shooting," Baroud said in remarks published by the daily As Safir on Monday.
This was a reference to Lutfi Zeineddine of injuries sustained in clashes with supporters of March 8 Forces during the Feb. 14 rally.