Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
At least six people died as a result of gunfire on the streets of the capital Lebanon, Beirut, due to ongoing disputes over last year’s explosion.
Lebanon’s interior minister, Bassam Mawlawi, said the six people had been shot dead. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 32 people were injured in the firefight.
Correspondent AFP in the field reported that the shootout made residents panic because the bullets whizzed as they grazed buildings and houses.
Residents continued to hide in their homes, monitoring the warming atmosphere with the sound of gunfire mixed with ambulance sirens for more than three hours.
This shootout occurred when the crowd was holding a protest against judge Tarek Bitar. He was tasked with investigating a massive explosion in Beirut port last year that killed more than 210 people.
The masses demanded Bitar resign because he was considered biased and cornered the Amal and Hezbollah groups in their investigation.
Tensions began when a sniper fired from a citizen’s home towards the Hezbollah and Amal masses. The two groups then responded with a barrage of gunfire and grenade throwing.
The Lebanese army stated that they immediately moved to the Tayouneh-Badaro area, where the firefight took place. At that time, the demonstrators had already moved towards the Ministry of Justice.
“They raided a number of buildings looking for snipers. They detained nine people,” the Lebanese army said in a statement.
When the dispute escalated, the President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, immediately spoke on television to ask all parties to calm down.
“Weapons cannot be used as a means of communication between the Lebanese parties because we have agreed to get out of this dark chapter of our history,” Aoun said, referring to the civil war that had hit Lebanon.
He urged political leaders to immediately find a solution to get out of this prolonged crisis.
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