Angry citizens detain Hezbollah MP in Lebanon over deteriorating living conditions

Hezbollah member and Parliamentarian Hussein Hajj Hassan. (File photo)
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Updated 14 August 2021
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Angry citizens detain Hezbollah MP in Lebanon over deteriorating living conditions

  • Video footage appears to show the time of his detention

CAIRO: A group of angry Lebanese citizens have reportedly detained Hezbollah member and Parliamentarian Hussein Hajj Hassan while attending a Shiite event in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon Friday evening.

Local media reported news of his detention by citizens angered by the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, adding that he departed the site amid heavy army deployment. 

Video footage of what happened in the village of Ali El-Nahri, which lies 66 kilometers away east of Beirut, purportedly shows the time of his detention.

Eyewitnesses quoted by local media said that some crowds hurled accusations at the MP related to power outages and the deterioration of living conditions.
Hassan later stated that he was marking the Shiite occasion of Ashura, and that he gave a speech in commemoration of the event, denying he faced any form of detention. 
“Lies, slander and untrue; nothing happened,” he told news website Lebanon 24. 
Moreover, a village resident who was present during Friday’s incident faced arrest today by an unknown party. 
Hassan Makkhal shared his arrest from his home on Facebook. Makkhal is said to be a critic of the Hezbollah figure.  


King Hamad says Bahrain 'committed to peace' as Iran attacks continue

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King Hamad says Bahrain 'committed to peace' as Iran attacks continue

LONDON: Bahrain is committed to the "path of peace" King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said on Saturday as the kingdom continued to be targeted by Iranian attacks.

Bahrain supports efforts that "enhance security and stability in the region and the world," the king said during a phone call with Spain's King Felipe VI.

"The people of the Kingdom of Bahrain are peaceful and believe in tolerance and coexistence," Bahrain News Agency reported him saying.

 His comments came on another day of Iranian strikes against Gulf countries in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been targeted by waves of drone and missile strikes since the conflict started on February 28.

Loud explosions were heard Saturday evening in Bahrain's capital Manama, AFP reported. Bahrain's interior ministry said there was fire and material damage to a house and surrounding building in Manama following strikes from Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had targeted US forces at Bahrain's Jufair base.

Another wave of attacks were directed at the kingdom earlier in the morning.

The UAE said its air defences intercepted 15 missiles and 119 drones on Saturday morning as attacks disrupted flights in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Qatar said on Saturday it had intercepted a missile, shortly after AFP journalists heard explosions and sirens sounding in central Doha.
"Armed forces intercepted (a) missile attack which targeted (the) State of Qatar," the defence ministry said.

*With AFP