A military checkpoint and five armoured vehicles guarded Khalde, a residential suburb south of Beirut on Monday morning, where gunmen opened fire on a Hezbollah funeral procession the day before in a deadly vendetta.
The soldiers stood on a dormant front line, with the Chebli Centre — a burnt-out building riddled with bullet holes and a Hezbollah flag — behind them.
A few metres away are the homes of the group's sworn enemies: the Sunni Arab clansmen of Khalde.
Close to the Chebli Centre, the Arabs have erected a huge photograph of a young man killed last August in a turf battle between the two groups.
The revenge killing of Hassan Ghosn’s alleged murderer on Saturday, whose funeral procession was the target of violence on Sunday, reignited tensions between local Sunni Arab clansmen and Shiite supporters of the Iran-backed group.
Khalde residents now fear renewed sectarian violence in a country already struck by political paralysis and economic collapse.
“We are preparing for the worst. We told our women and children to stay indoors,” Lawrence Chahine, an Arab clan member said from his family home, metres away from the scene of the fighting.
“If Hezbollah decides to have another big procession for those who died yesterday we will consider it a declaration of war.
It is going to be a massacre.”
Sunni Arab clansmen said that one their own killed Ali Chebli, the Hezbollah member whose procession was attacked, to avenge the killing of the Sunni boy, Hassan Ghosn, last year.
Chebli’s funeral procession ended in bloodshed.
As many as four people are believed to have been killed. Hezbollah confirmed that two people were dead. The Red Cross, which was deployed at the scene, said it will not release a death toll.
Mr Chahine, a cafe owner in his 50s, said the clansmen attacked Chibli’s procession because some people attempted to tear away the image of Ghosn and fired in the direction of the photograph.
He also said that the sight of a huge convoy waving Hezbollah flags and chanting Shiite slogans was a provocation to local clansmen, many of whom live at the corner between the picture and Chebli’s villa.
“When I saw the convoy, I knew there was going to be blood,” he said.
Hezbollah said on Sunday that the procession was “ambushed” by local gunmen and denies wrongdoing.
Khalde is located south of Hezbollah's security complex in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Banners of the slain Iranian commander Qassem Suleimani line the Beirut motorway to Khalde.
The coastal town separates Hezbollah's Beirut stronghold from south Lebanon, where the armed group holds great influence.
Mr Chahine traces enmities between clan members and the Shiite group back to the killing of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. An international court found last year that Hariri was killed by a Hezbollah operative.
“Wherever there is a force standing in their way they will strike,” Mr Chahine said, accusing the group of “waging war on Sunnis".
Lebanon was at war with itself for 15 years as sect leaders competed for territorial control. An arrangement dividing political portfolios by sect ended the war in 1990.
Lebanon’s sect leaders called for calm on Sunday after the clashes in a rare show of unity.
Blood begets blood. My brother was shot dead last year in Syria. If we had killed his killer, there would be endless bloodshed
Syrian resident of Khalde
They have been embroiled in a year-long fight over their share of ministerial portfolios in the next government. The Cabinet of premier Hassan Diab resigned last August after the devastating blast at Beirut's port.
President Michel Aoun called on “all sides to co-operate” to restore calm to Khalde.
An army spokesperson told The National that military intelligence arrested a local salafist clergyman and his son on suspicion that he "incited the men to shoot at the procession."
The army said on Monday it had also arrested one gunman who shot at Chibli’s procession and that Khalde had returned to normal.
Alone in his empty decor shop by the sea, a local resident said he still fears for his business and his life.
“I am against all forms of violence, especially during a funeral procession. This is simply not right”, Omar, 24, said in a low soft voice.
The Syrian man said that so long as the vendetta remains unresolved bloodshed was inevitable.
“Blood begets blood. My brother was shot dead last year in Syria. If we had killed his killer, there would be endless bloodshed.”
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
MADAME%20WEB
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20S.J.%20Clarkson%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Dakota%20Johnson%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%2C%20Sydney%20Sweeney%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Rio Angie, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Trenchard, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m. Winner: Mulfit, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Waady, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m. Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
The five pillars of Islam
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence