Lebanon: Hezbollah member among two killed in clash in Christian-majority town

The Lebanese army seized a truckload of munitions from Hezbollah on Thursday, after the vehicle had overturned, leading to a shootout that left at least two people dead.

The violence erupted on Wednesday evening in the Christian-majority town of Kahaleh, southeast of Beirut, the Lebanese capital.

The truck overturned on a road leading to the Bekaa Valley, adjacent to Syria, before clashes erupted between Hezbollah members who were guarding it and Kahaleh residents.  

The two sides have traded blame on who fired first, in a shootout that killed one member of Hezbollah and a Christian resident of Kahaleh.

In a statement, the Lebanese army said that it had confiscated the ammunition, but it did not elaborate on who the munitions belonged to or what they were. 

Hezbollah confirmed that the truck belonged to the group, without stating what it contained. 

It added in a statement that the truck had come under attack by local gunmen and one member of the group had died while protecting the vehicle. 

Residents in Kahaleh said they had come under attack from people inside the truck, without elaborating. 

Fadi Bejjani, 64, was identified as the local victim by his son, Youssef.

'My dad fell to the ground, but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes'

– Youssef Bejjani, 39, victim's son

"We were a metre away but couldn’t see what was inside the truck. At least three men started shooting at us - two with machine guns and one with a pistol. My dad fell to the ground, but there was so much gunfire that we couldn't get to him for three minutes," Bejjani, 39, told Reuters. 

The clashes marked a serious confrontation between Hezbollah and its Lebanese opponents, who have pounced on the event to accuse the group of transporting dangerous weapons. 

Nazih Matta, a parliamentarian representing the area for the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, said a "man from Kahaleh was killed - this is totally unacceptable". 

The LF, a mostly Christian right-wing party, is a strong opponent of Hezbollah. 

Increasing tensions

The shootout echoed the Beirut crises of 2021, in which clashes between Hezbollah, LF and the Lebanese army resulted in heavy fighting, leaving more than a dozen people dead or injured.

Lebanon's caretaker premier Najib Mikati spoke to army commander General Joseph Aoun and called for "calm and wisdom" while a formal investigation takes place.

The incident comes as the Lebanese southern border experiences a rise in tensions in recent months between Hezbollah and Israel.

In early July, the Israeli army shelled southern Lebanon after two rockets launched from the area exploded near the border fence.

Later in July, members of Hezbollah were wounded in an explosion on the southern border.

At the time, sources told Reuters the men were wounded in an "attack" and a security source told AFP the injuries were from "Israeli fire".