Tensions Between Two Clans in Baalbek Persist after Retaliation

Lebanese army are seen in military tanks in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon August 19, 2017. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho
Lebanese army are seen in military tanks in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon August 19, 2017. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho
TT
20

Tensions Between Two Clans in Baalbek Persist after Retaliation

Lebanese army are seen in military tanks in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon August 19, 2017. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho
Lebanese army are seen in military tanks in the town of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon August 19, 2017. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho

Tensions are still running high in Lebanon's Baalbek city after armed members of the Jaafar clan killed an individual from the Chamas clan on Sunday. Tension and security chaos prevailed in the city and nearby villages, while some residents said that Jaafar clan youths closed roads carrying assault rifles and missile weapons.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Governor of Baalbek-Hermel Bashir Khadr explained that Sunday’s murder was in revenge for an incident that happened in 2017 when two brothers from the Chamas clan killed someone from the Jaafar family. One of them (Aala) was handed over to the security forces and is still in prison. The other (Abbas) was apprehended while visiting Aala in prison because of charges that had been filed against him. In the aftermath, the Jaafar clan assured Mohammed, who is the third brother for Abbas and Aala, that they would not take his life in retaliation.

“Abbas was released from prison a few days ago, and when the Jaafars could not reach him for revenge, they killed his brother Mohammed, who was in his store in Baalbek,” Khadr added.

The official stressed that Mohammed had nothing to do with the murder, which happened three years ago.

"He had been in Beirut at the time.”

Mayor Suleiman Chamas stressed that “tensions are under control so far” and said that other clans in the regions have intervened to contain the crisis. As for the intervention of parties with a strong presence in the area, notably the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, Chamas said that “they have not done so yet”, adding that the matter is left to families and clans to avoid further escalations.

Chamas believes that the Jaafar clan must hand in the murderer and stresses that the statement it released is not sufficient. He also stressed the need for the state to be present in the region and play its role to avoid such incidents' recurrence.

The statement issued on behalf of the Jaafar clan expressed its regret over what had happened between “the Jaafar and Chamas families”. The statement also mentions that the Jaafars rely on “the wisdom of the Chamas clan and prominent figures and political parties in the region to contain what happened”, and that it is ready to “cooperate to put an end to what happened.”

The area’s residents spoke of the hours of terror they underwent after the killing incident. Members of the Jaafar clan went to the Sharawneh neighborhood and celebrated their revenge, firing bullets and rockets.

Videos also circulated showing gunmen from the Chamas family roaming Baalbek’s streets amid a total absence of Lebanese security forces.

A resident from the Chamas family said that “the state's absence has become normal in such incidents, because any intervention that is not coordinated with the clans could lead to more wide-ranging security crises.”



What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
TT
20

What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)

Flash floods in Texas killed at least 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing, including girls attending a summer camp. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

Massive rain hit at just the wrong time, in a flood-prone place

The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep.

The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours.

After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.

Death toll is expected to rise and the number of missing is uncertain

In Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday morning. Fatalities in nearby counties brought the total number of deaths to 94 as of Monday afternoon.

Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief.

Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday had said that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said during a Monday news conference he couldn't give an estimate of the number of people still missing, only saying “it is a lot.”

Officials face scrutiny over flash flood warnings

Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “nobody saw this coming.” Officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.

And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change. Though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur, meteorologists say that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and allow severe storms to dump even more rain.

Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.

Rice said Monday that he did not immediately know if there had been any communication between law enforcement and the summer camps between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday. But Rice said various factors, including spotty cell service in some of the more isolated areas of Kerr County and cell towers that might have gone out of service during the weather, could have hindered communication.

Rice said officials want to finish the search and rescue and then review possible issues with cell towers, radios and emergency alerts.

Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.

Kerr county officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.

Monumental clearing and rebuilding effort

The flash floods have erased campgrounds and torn homes from their foundations.

"It’s going to be a long time before we’re ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it," Kelly said Saturday after surveying the destruction from a helicopter.

Other massive flooding events have driven residents and business owners to give up, including in areas struck last year by Hurricane Helene.

President Donald Trump said he would likely visit the flood zone on Friday.

AP photographers have captured the scale of the destruction, and one of Texas' largest rescue and recovery efforts.