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October 14, 2021
LEBANON — At least six people are dead and 30 others are injured after gunmen opened fire during Hezbollah organized protests over the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar in Beirut Thursday.
Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters and their main ally, the Amal movement, were marching toward the city’s Palace of Justice when shots were fired at the protesters by snipers on rooftops.
Videos posted to social media shows gunmen, apparently affiliated with the protesters, firing RPGs and AK-47s as heavy gunfire broke out in the streets.
The gun battle lasted for several hours before calm was eventually restored.
Hospital and military officials said some of the victims were shot in the head, including a woman who was struck by a stray bullet while inside her home.
Hezbollah and Amal accused Christian party The Lebanese Forces of being behind the sniper attacks.
Lebanese Forces denied the attack and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned the violence and appealed for calm in a statement posted on Twitter.
Tensions had been on the rise after Hezbollah and Amal demanded the removal of Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation into last year’s massive port explosion in Beirut.
Since his appointment in February, Bitar, who also heads Beirut’s criminal court, has sought top political and security officials for questioning in last year’s port explosion, according to a report from CNN.
Just this week, Bitar issued an arrest warrant against lawmaker Ali Hassan Khalil, a top Amal official and former finance minister, the report read.
Several legal petitions by officials being prosecuted to dismiss Bitar, accusing him of bias, have been unsuccessful to date.
The explosion happened after a fire detonated 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a combustible chemical used as agricultural fertilizer, that had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse for almost six years.
Senior officials were aware of the material’s whereabouts and the threat it posed, yet did nothing to secure, remove, or destroy it.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/14/middleeast/lebanon-blast-gunfire-protest-intl/cnn.com/privacy0
A man runs for cover as gunfire breaks out at a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday, October 14.
Fighters from the Hezbollah and Amal movements take aim during the clashes.
A mother hides behind a car with her children as gunfire continues.
Bullets hit a building during the clashes. There were multiple reports of snipers shooting at demonstrators from the rooftops of buildings.
A man reloads during the clashes.
Fighters from the Hezbollah and Amal movements are seen during the clashes in Beirut.
Lebanese soldiers protect teachers as they flee their school.
Bullet shells are seen on the ground.
Men help an elderly woman evacuate the area.
Lebanese security forces react to gunfire during the protest.
Shattered glass and debris are seen after gunfire erupted.
Lebanese soldiers are deployed to the scene.
Police officers stand guard inside the Palace of Justice.
People take part in the protest near the Palace of Justice.
Protesters chant slogans during the demonstration.
