Thousands of Lebanese participated today, Friday, in the funeral ceremony of the Lebanese Forces Party official Pascal Suleiman Who was kidnapped earlier this week, and his body was found in Syria.
In a speech he delivered after the funeral today, Friday, the head of the Lebanese Forces stressed Samir Geagea However, his party “wants to change the failed and corrupt authority that has placed us on the last floor of hell.”
He added: “In order for us to be able to do that, we must know the truth and have the country’s decision be in our hands so that we do not find ourselves in an endless war as is happening now,” alluding to the exchange of bombing between Hezbollah and Israel across the Lebanese-Israeli border as the ongoing war continues. Gaza strip.
The Lebanese authorities arrested 7 Syrians in the case of the killing of a local official in the Lebanese Forces Party, after he was kidnapped on Sunday in the Jbeil region (north) and his body was found in Syria.
The Lebanese Army indicated on Monday evening that “it became clear during the investigation with “most of the Syrian gang members participating in the kidnapping that the kidnapped person was killed by them while they were trying to steal his car in the Jbeil area.” But some supporters of the Lebanese Forces Party pointed the finger of blame. For Hezbollah.
The Lebanese Forces Party said that Suleiman’s killing was “a political assassination until proven otherwise.”
Sectarian strife
For his part, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah denied this Hassan Nasrallah In a televised speech on Monday, he asserted that his party was involved in the kidnapping, considering that those who accuse him are only stirring up sectarian strife.
In front of Saint George Church in Jbeil, supporters of the Lebanese Forces waved party flags on Friday, and some of them expressed their disbelief in the initial official story.
Raymond Saad (54 years old) said: “My confidence in the Lebanese judiciary and its investigations is very limited, as I feel that there is control by the judicial body.”
For her part, party activist Ruba Hajal (24 years old) said: “The Syrian presence is caused by Hezbollah’s weapons and unrestrained security, and we are here today to say that we are not afraid.”
Refugee file
The killing of Suleiman fueled sentiments against the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, which has been witnessing a severe economic crisis since 2019 and hosts about two million Syrians, including 800,000 registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which is the highest number of refugees in the world relative to the population.
The Minister of Interior and Municipalities in the Lebanese caretaker government, Bassam Mawlawi, called on Tuesday for strictness “in applying the laws” to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
As for the Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi Who presided over the funeral ceremony, he called for “finding a final solution to the presence of” the Syrian refugees, “whom Lebanon received with every human spirit, but some of whom commit horrific crimes.”
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