Lebanon’s Amal movement says 3 members killed in Beirut clashes

BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanon’s Amal movement said Thursday that three of its members were killed during clashes in the capital Beirut which left six people dead.

The movement, led by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, released a statement identifying the three as Mustafa Zbeib, Hasan Jamil Naameh and Hassan Mohammed Meshik.

The Amal movement will strive to ensure the identification and arrest of the perpetrators involved in the killings and will follow the case closely, the statement added.

Earlier Thursday, unknown gunmen opened fire on protesters from rooftops near the Palace of Justice, forcing demonstrators and journalists to take cover.

Clashes then broke out between masked gunmen and the snipers, leaving six people dead and 32 others wounded.

The protest was held to demand the removal of Tarek Bitar, the judge heading the probe into last year's deadly Beirut port blast, after the court dismissed a complaint against him and allowed him to continue the investigation.

Commenting on the violence, Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah and Amal released a joint statement accusing an "armed group" affiliated with the Lebanese Forces party led by Samir Geagea of being behind the attack.

The Lebanese military said in a statement that the protesters were attacked while they were heading toward the Palace of Justice.

The Beirut port blast in August 2020 killed more than 200 people, wounded around 6,000 and left some 300,000 homeless besides causing massive damage and further weakening Lebanon’s already fragile economy.