A clash broke out on Monday between residents of Baqaata , the largest commercial center in the Shouf region of Mt Lebanon and a Hezbollah security convoy after the residents discovered an illegal telecom network belonging to Hezbollah militant group that passes through their town all the way to al-Mukhtara according to media reports.
Mukhtara is the headquarters of Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt”.
The Hezbollah security convoy comprising three cars with tinted windows and carrying gunmen raised suspicions when it was first spotted in the town of Mristi on its way from Niha Shouf but the members of the convoy claimed that they are army intelligence agents, according to LBC.
Contacts were then made with the army’s Intelligence Directorate which confirmed that the convoy does not belong to it and probably carried Hezbollah officals, LBCI reported .
The Hezbollah convoy continued its trip towards the town of Baqaata after passing through Mukhtara and that is when the residents spotted it and clashed with the Hezbollah gunmen .
“Army intelligence agents intervened to end the clash and escorted the cars for a certain distance before letting them go on their own,” LBC reported.
“One of the Hezbollah cars in Baqaata hit two people as it was trying to flee from the army’s patrol ,Radio Voice of Lebanon (100.5)reported.
The Hezbollah convoy was later spotted in the town of Dmith where it was also attacked by the residents of the town which prompted the army to intervene again.
VOL reported that PSP said that the Baqaata case is now in the hands of the army, adding the PSP “received a series of phone calls from Hezbollah that were aimed at containing the repercussions of the clash.”
According to media reports Hezbollah gunmen also tried to impersonate the army intelligence when they tried to assassinate March 14 MP Boutros Harb last July.
One analyst in the Shouf region told Ya Libnan,” even though Jumblatt has been allied with the Iranian and Syrian backed militant group since early 2011 , he is critical of Hezbollah’s support to the Syrian regime and this may be the reason why it ( Hezbollah) is trying to use its private communications network to spy on him in his Shouf stronghold “
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