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, in revenge for the murder of a Sunni Arab teenager that took place last year.
في عملية ثأرية.. لحظة قتل المسؤول بـ #حزب_الله اللبناني #علي_شبلي خلال حفل زفاف#إرم_نيوز #لبنان #خلدة pic.twitter.com/HNinP4moBJ
— إرم نيوز (@EremNews) July 31, 2021
Video reportedly from the scene showed a man running up to Shibli and firing multiple shots toward him before running away from the scene.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
After the funeral procession was attacked, Hezbollah stated that the leadership of the movement is following the issue with "great interest and high accuracy" and called on the army and security forces to intervene to impose security.
Ghosn's family released a statement on Sunday accusing Chebli of killing Hassan and saying that his family has refused to hand him over since the murder last year, according to NNA. The family added that the Sunni Arab tribes in were "surprised" after the funeral procession came through Khaldeh instead of going directly south.
The mourners began firing into the air in a "provacative and intentional manner" and tore up a picture of Hassan Ghosn in the area, according to the family. The mourners also "showered" the Arab families with insults, which led to the situation getting out of control.
The family said they could provide testimonies and recordings to prove that the picture of Ghosn was torn and that the mourners fired into the air."We find it necessary to remind everyone that the Arabs of Khaldeh are the owners of this land, as their history dates back to Khaldeh in particular to 800 years ago," said the family. "We affirm for the thousandth time that the Arab clans throughout Khaldeh and Lebanon were and still are, despite everything that happened, keen on civil peace and coexistence."
Lebanese President Michel Aoun asked the army to take immediate measures to restore calm to the region and arrest the shooters.
Sunni Arabs in Tripoli conducted large demonstrations in solidarity with the Arab residents of Khalde, calling on the army to intervene "before things deteriorate and turn into strife that affects the whole country," according to NNA.
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.