Ali Shibli, a member of the Hezbollah movement, was shot and killed during a wedding on Saturday evening in the town of Jiyeh, south of Beirut, with initial reports indicating that the assassination was carried out as revenge for a murder that took place last year.
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On Sunday, Chebli’s funeral procession came under fire, with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire targeting the mourners. Three people were reported killed in the incident, according to Reuters.
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“We affirm our absolute rejection of all kinds of killing and the desecration of sanctities and dignity, and we call upon the security and judicial agencies to respond firmly to holding the perpetrators and those who participated with them accountable,” said Hezbollah in response to the murder.
Another person was injured in the Saturday shooting, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The Lebanese army implemented a security cordon in the area and security services opened an investigation, with the NNA reporting that tensions were high in the area after the murder.
Video reportedly from the scene showed a man running up to Shibli and firing multiple shots toward him before running away from the scene.
Initial reports linked the murder to violent clashes between Sunni and Shi’ite residents of the town of Khaldeh last year in which Hassan Zaher Ghosn, a teenage Sunni Arab, was killed. A Syrian man was also killed in last year’s violence.
According to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar news, Shibli was killed by Ahmed Zaher Ghosn. Some reports indicated that Ahmed was Hassan’s relative and that the murder was conducted as revenge by Hassan’s family.
The Janoubia news site reported that the Ghosn tribe had demanded that Shibli be handed over to authorities after Ghosn’s murder, with sources from the tribe telling the news source that they held Hezbollah responsible for protecting Shibli.
Clashes broke out last August in the town of Khaldeh after a poster was put up by Shi’ite residents to commemorate Ashura, the 7th-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein.
Machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the fighting in August, which witnesses said lasted four hours. During the clashes, a shopping center called Shibli Center was shot at and torched. Shibli was reportedly the owner of the center.According to the Hamas-affiliated Al-Akhbar news, Shibli’s house was targeted by a rocket-propelled grenade during the clashes as well.
A Sunni Arab tribe to which Ghosn belonged accused members of the Iran-backed Shi’ite group Hezbollah of opening fire. Hezbollah categorically denied having anything to do with the incident.
Mourners chanted “there is no God but God and Hezbollah is the enemy of God” as the boy’s body was carried on a stretcher into his grandfather’s house at the funeral in August.
Divisions between Lebanese Sunnis and Shi’ites opened up after the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri. Hezbollah denies any role in killing Hariri, Lebanon’s main Sunni leader at the time of his death.
The assassination on Saturday comes just days after Lebanese citizens expressed outrage in response to pictures and video from the lavish weddings of the daughters of two Hezbollah-affiliated politicians that were leaked on social media, showing the politicians celebrating in style while most of Lebanon is suffering the effects of a worsening economic crisis.
Video showed Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan and former Hezbollah MP Nawwar Al-Sahili walking their extravagantly dressed daughters down the aisle and revelers enjoying alcoholic beverages and luxurious meals, including salmon and truffles.
Social media users expressed outrage at the lavish events that took place despite the extreme conditions much of Lebanon is facing as part of its worsening economic crisis, with many mocking Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by referencing his past statements calling on his supporters to be patient and sacrifice.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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