Army raids Baalbek town, clashes with fugitives

BEIRUT: A man was killed by a stray bullet during clashes between the Lebanese army and members of the Jaafar clan in Baalbek Thursday morning.

The clashes broke out after soldiers carried out a raid in the neighborhood of al-Sharawneh to arrest wanted individuals from the Jaafar clan. Machine guns and RPGs were used in the clashes, prompting the army to call for reinforcements.

The army laid siege to the southern part of al-Sharawneh neighborhood where the perpetrators were believed to be hiding.

The army urged the fugitives to turn themselves in, as military helicopters flew over area.

The Lebanese judiciary issued Wednesday arrest warrants for three murder suspects from the Jaafar clan.

The Lebanese Army arrested the three suspects during a raid carried out in Baalbek Dec. 28, which left one soldier dead and four others wounded.

The suspects are said to be involved in the killing of Sobhi and Nadimeh Fakhry. The Fakhri family members were shot in November 2014 after reportedly refusing to allow gunmen from the Jaafar clan to use their car to escape an army raid.