By Vana Sekian | Staff Writer

On October 14, 2021, the most violent sectarian battle since 2008 broke out on the streets of Beirut.

The dismissal of Hezbollah’s appeal to remove the leading Judge in the post blast investigation, Tarek Bitar, triggered a series of events. There was ongoing tension from the leader of the party, Hassan Nasrallah, towards Judge Bitar, accusing him of being “unjust” and summoning some officials and not others. As a result, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement called for a protest at the Justice Court, passing through the geographically predominant front line that separates the historically Muslim and Christian areas of Beirut.

Due to this location and already rising political and economic tensions, the protest against the Court Justice’s dismissal of the appeal quickly shifted to a display of street violence with no clear protagonist. Different political parties began mobilizing. The trajectory of how these protesters gathered was unclear.  As the clashes began near the area of Tayouneh, Hezbollah claim that snipers assembled from residential buildings’ balconies and began shooting in the direction of protestors. On the other hand, others claim that Amal protestors had been dealing harm to local property near the Tayouneh area.

Regardless of the actual happenings which – as the history of the country has shown – may never be found, the exchange of bullets between the Muslim and Christian sides of the capital revived images of sectarian and political divide of the Civil War, fueled predominantly by the state’s exploitation of poverty, no public services and lack of state rather than by sectarian loyalties. It is unclear who caused what damage. Nevertheless, fingers are being pointed all around.

Panic flooded through Beirut; children in schools were evacuated from their classrooms to the school corridors, where they were told to crouch. Four projectiles fell in Freres of Furn el Chebbak near a private French school. A scared mother, Haneen Chemaly, hid with her 6-month-old baby in her building’s shelter and stated that this was the politicians “last card to play” and are directing the country into another Civil War. The army was sent to supposedly neutralize the situation and restore peace and order. Statements from those on the ground report snipers and gunmen firing into the air. In addition to this, four B7 rockets were fired into the air and the whole area was covered in smoke. The protests were brought to a halt by the army. Nevertheless, four hours into the clashes, 30 casualties and 6 deaths were reported by the Red Cross. On top of an economic collapse, unaffordable fuel prices, COVID-19 pandemic and lack of the availability and access to basic necessities like water and electricity, this street violence just adds another layer to the very fragmented state of Lebanon.

Due to the sensitive nature of this subject, we invite dissenting readers to share their perspectives in the comments below.