Lebanon: Armed Clashes Between Hezbollah, Christian Villagers Leave 2 Dead
The Facts
An armed clash broke out Wednesday between residents of the Christian town of Kahaleh and Hezbollah fighters, leaving one dead on each side, after a truck escorted by the militant group turned over on the highway that links Beirut to the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Both sides traded blame for the shootout, which erupted after locals gathered around the truck that was reportedly carrying a shipment of ammunition. Ahmed Qassas, the Hezbollah member killed in the clash, was given a military funeral in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The Spin
Narrative A
Hezbollah, once again, has resorted to thuggish militia tactics to ensure the security of its arms. The Lebanese crisis will only be solved when Hezbollah gives up its weapons and begins to behave like a normal political party. No one wants to see another civil war, but Hezbollah continues to escalate the situation by moving its arms through areas in which the local population is against the group.
Narrative B
Lebanon's right-wing extremists will do anything to undermine the resistance. Hezbollah has a right to defend its interests, which are shared with all Lebanese as the group is a national movement, and it does not want to see any sort of sectarian conflict. Indeed, Hezbollah has made a serious effort to defend Christians from foreign threats, such as Israel and Jihadist terrorists.
