At least three dead in violent protest called by Hezbollah against judge investigating Beirut tragedy

One man was shot in the head, another was shot in the chest, Mariam Hassan of the Sahel hospital outside Beirut told AFP.

The national intelligence agency (ANI) announced that a third had died at the Rassoul Al Aazam hospital in the Shiite neighborhoods of southern Beirut.

Twenty people were injured, according to the Lebanese Red Cross, and were rescued by ambulances near the Palace of Justice, where the protesters demanded the dismissal of the judge in charge of the investigation of the explosion in the city’s port, which occurred on August 4, 2020.

Fighters from the Hezbollah and Amal Shiite movements shoot during clashes in the Tayouneh area, in the southern suburb of Beirut, on October 14, 2021.

At least 214 people died in this drama, there were more than 6,000 injured and many buildings in the Lebanese capital were devastated.

Hezbollah and its allies believe the judge is politicizing the investigation.

Local televisions showed armed protesters and the army said it had registered shots in several areas and that it had cordoned off the places to “look for the people who had shot and detain them”.

Prime Minister Nagib Mikati urged calm and criticized attempts to plunge the country into a cycle of violence.

On Tuesday, the judge in charge of the investigation of the explosion in the port of Beirut, Tareq Bitar, issued an arrest warrant against the deputy and former Finance Minister, Ali Hassan Khalil, a member of Amal and ally of Hezbollah.

He was then forced to suspend the investigation since two former ministers filed a complaint against him in court, which was dismissed this Thursday, so the magistrate will be able to continue with his work.

This issue is about to cause an implosion of the newly formed Lebanese government, after a year of political blockade.