One Dead in East Lebanon Mosque Shooting

Members of Lebanese security forces gather near a mosque where a shooting took place, in Bar Elias, Lebanon. Reuters
Members of Lebanese security forces gather near a mosque where a shooting took place, in Bar Elias, Lebanon. Reuters
TT

One Dead in East Lebanon Mosque Shooting

Members of Lebanese security forces gather near a mosque where a shooting took place, in Bar Elias, Lebanon. Reuters
Members of Lebanese security forces gather near a mosque where a shooting took place, in Bar Elias, Lebanon. Reuters

One person was killed and several others were wounded Friday when a man opened fire at worshipers as they made their way out of the Akasha mosque in the eastern Lebanese town of Bar Elias.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the armed man opened fire at a group of people as they were leaving the mosque, killing one of them.

It added that as troops tried to detain the gunman, he opened fire at the force whose members fired back and wounded him. The gunman was being held in a hospital.

A Lebanese security source said the shooter was hit by three bullets.

Initial reports indicate the suspect suffers from psychological problems. Other reports said the attack was sparked by a personal dispute.

The man killed in the attack was identified as Lebanese citizen Ali Shibli, a school teacher.

Bekaa Governor Judge Kamal Abou Jaoude called on the security services, along with the municipal police and employees, to maintain public order in the town, and to provide the required assistance to support security forces when necessary.

The Governor also urged Bar Elias residents to “show the highest levels of awareness and responsibility.”



Relatives of Bashar Assad Arrested as They Tried to Fly Out of Lebanon, Officials Say

A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Relatives of Bashar Assad Arrested as They Tried to Fly Out of Lebanon, Officials Say

A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)
A torn poster of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad hangs near the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, in Daraa, Syria, December 27, 2024. (Reuters)

The wife and daughter of one of deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad ’s cousins were arrested Friday at the Beirut airport, where they attempted to fly out with allegedly forged passports, Lebanese judicial and security officials said. Assad’s uncle departed the day before.

Rasha Khazem, the wife of Duraid Assad — the son of former Syrian Vice President Rifaat Assad, the uncle of Bashar Assad — and their daughter, Shams, were smuggled illegally into Lebanon and were trying to fly to Egypt when they were arrested, according to five Lebanese officials familiar with the case.

They were being detained by Lebanese General Security. Rifaat had flown out the day before on his real passport and was not stopped, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

Swiss federal prosecutors in March indicted Rifaat on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering murder and torture more than four decades ago.

Rifaat Assad, the brother of Bashar Assad's father Hafez Assad, Syria's former ruler, led the artillery unit that shelled the city of Hama and killed thousands, earning him the nickname the “Butcher of Hama.”

Earlier this year, Rifaat Assad was indicted in Switzerland for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Hama.

Tens of thousands of Syrians are believed to have entered Lebanon illegally on the night of Assad’s fall earlier this month, when insurgent forces entered Damascus.

The Lebanese security and judicial officials said that more than 20 members of the former Syrian Army’s notorious 4th Division, military intelligence officers and others affiliated with Assad’s security forces were arrested earlier in Lebanon. Some of them were arrested when they attempted to sell their weapons.

Lebanon’s public prosecution office also received an Interpol notice requesting the arrest of Jamil al-Hassan, the former director of Syrian intelligence under Assad. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati previously told Reuters that Lebanon would cooperate with the Interpol request to arrest al-Hassan.