Amal Movement Says Beirut Violence Aimed to Reignite Internal Strife

Gun shells are seen on the floor after gunfire erupted, in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. (Reuters)
Gun shells are seen on the floor after gunfire erupted, in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. (Reuters)
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Amal Movement Says Beirut Violence Aimed to Reignite Internal Strife

Gun shells are seen on the floor after gunfire erupted, in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. (Reuters)
Gun shells are seen on the floor after gunfire erupted, in Beirut, Lebanon October 14, 2021. (Reuters)

The Shiite Amal movement said on Monday last week's street violence in Beirut in which seven people were shot dead aimed to reignite internal strife and threaten peace in Lebanon.

The seven were killed on Thursday as crowds headed for a demonstration called by Amal and its Iranian-backed ally Hezbollah group in bloodshed that stirred memories of the 1975-1990 civil war.

"What happened showed the Lebanese people the truth behind what these groups are doing in terms of trying to ignite internal strife and national division and threaten civic peace and pushing the Lebanese back to the era of civil wars," Amal said in a statement.

The incident marked the worst street violence in over a decade and added to fears for the stability of a country that is awash with weapons and suffering an economic meltdown.

Amal, which is led by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, one of the most powerful political figures in the country, urged the authorities to arrest all those responsible.

Hezbollah blamed the Christian Lebanese Forces (LF) party for the deaths, an accusation that LF head Samir Geagea denied. The LF condemned Thursday's events and blamed the violence on Hezbollah's "incitement" against Tarek Bitar, the lead investigator in a probe into last year's blast at Beirut port.

Amal and Hezbollah had called the demonstration to protest against Bitar.

The inquiry into the Aug. 4, 2020 explosion, which killed more than 200 people and devastated swathes of Beirut, has made little headway amid pushback from political factions.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said Bitar is not objective.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian condemned the attacks and described them as shameful.

"Difference of opinion is granted but fighting in the streets is not acceptable," he said in comments carried by the state National News Agency. "The solution is through peaceful means not through the use of weapons that are spread in the street."



Assad Intelligence Archive Sparks Controversy in Iraq

Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
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Assad Intelligence Archive Sparks Controversy in Iraq

Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 

A recent visit to Damascus by Izzat al-Shabandar, the special envoy of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has stirred political tensions in Baghdad amid speculation that he was handed sensitive intelligence files from the Syrian regime.

The trip, which included a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has drawn criticism from within Iraq’s Coordination Framework, with some figures accusing the prime minister of using the visit to obtain the so-called “Assad intelligence archive” for political leverage ahead of parliamentary elections set for November.

The archive is believed to contain compromising material on Iraqi political and paramilitary figures, some of whom opposed Saddam Hussein’s regime or supported Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Reports suggest that such information could be used in electoral rivalries.

Al-Sudani’s coalition, the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, has denied any such intentions. Coalition member Abdulhadi al-Saadaoui dismissed the rumors, stating: “The prime minister has no need for such tactics, especially given his broad popularity and growing support across Iraq.”

Since Assad’s fall in late 2024, speculation has grown around the fate of Syria’s intelligence files. Critics, including MP Youssef al-Kilabi, claim they could be exploited to damage opponents. Al-Kilabi alleged in a post on X that the archive had been handed to an Iraqi guest by former Syrian leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani.

Shabandar responded in a post of his own, saying he respected those who offered reasoned criticism, but dismissed what he called “electronic flies and stray dogs barking for their masters,” suggesting political motives behind the backlash.