“A phenomenon that the Lebanese have never invented before any other people: a live viewing of the battle in Ain al-Hilweh from a hill in Maghdouche. There are also chairs for rent and a seller of thermos and hookahs.” Pictures and video clips, circulated by social media users since last night, show queues of cars lined up beside the road, parked by their owners to watch the clashes in Ain al-Hilweh camp that broke out last Thursday evening between members of the Fatah movement and extremist Islamic elements, which included the use of machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
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Stray bullets and some rocket shells flew outside the borders of the camp, especially to Sidon, Ghaziyeh, Darb al-Sim, Sidon neighborhood, and the South-Beirut road. Two shells fell on the Sidon-Ghaziyeh road, after a stray bullet had killed a citizen in Ghaziyeh on Saturday, while a number of people were injured in Sidon. And the neighborhood is with shrapnel. The clashes led to the paralysis of most of the institutions and shops in the vicinity of the camp, and affected the movement of southerners along the coastal road.
The number of deaths rose this morning to 7, and the number of wounded became about 85 people.
After several days of citizens lining up to watch the clashes, the security forces this morning placed a tape at the entrance to the Lady of Mantara quarter and prevented everyone from passing and being present, and diverted traffic to a side road to and from the town.
Last night, An-Nahar contacted the mayor of Maghdouche, Raif Younan, and drew his attention to the abnormal condition on the elbow.
A source in the municipality of Maghdoucheh reported to An-Nahar that “citizens came from the villages neighboring Maghdoucheh, such as Al-Ghaziyeh and Anqoun, to watch the events of the camp because Maghdoucheh overlooks it,” stressing that the footage circulating does not belong to the town’s residents.
He pointed out that “the security forces passed by these columns before and did not move anything,” wondering, “If the state did not object, what could a municipal policeman do, for example?”
He explained that the municipality issued a statement asking citizens to be careful, stressing that the town’s residents are staying in their homes due to the loud noises that can be heard and the bullets that are hitting the town, to the point that some residents have left for Beirut.
He said: “There is some exaggeration on social media. Who said that chairs are being rented?” Stressing that the municipality cannot prevent any citizen from being there.”
He added: “We are in constant contact with the security forces, and what is happening is an example of chaos in Lebanon as a whole in light of the absence of the law and adherence to it.”
He asked: “Which municipality is capable of attacking thugs and those supported by parties?”
Later, the municipality of Maghdoucheh thanked “all the security services for responding quickly to its request to prevent gatherings on the Lady’s Elbow overlooking the Ain al-Hilweh camp, and to close the road in both directions and turn it into side roads,” reminding citizens of “the need to be careful in view of the continuing clashes and the fall of stray bullets.”
What happened in Maghdouche, although it surprised some, is not new. People have always lined up to witness a traffic accident, a dispute, a conflict, or a fight, and this has become an integral part of our daily lives. These are common sights. Lebanon is experiencing its worst days. The anticipated fear is that Lebanon is heading toward darker chapters, of ignorance, crime, and security chaos with the accumulation of destitution, hunger, and despair, and of the complete collapse of its institutions, until those who are able to leave are able to leave, leaving the homeland to those who cannot leave it.
2023-09-11 13:29:00
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