Thursday's shooting in Beirut felt all too familiar for residents of the Lebanese capital.
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Beirutis reported that despite the deployment of the military, gunfire between Christian militias and armed Hezbollah operatives had continued until the evening.
Six Shiites were shot dead in an attack on supporters of Hezbollah and allied Lebanese party Amal Movement who were gathering to demand the removal of the judge investigating last year's devastating port blast. The shooting – which took place on the frontline of Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war – evoked scenes reminiscent of the conflict.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Amal Movement accused the Lebanese Forces – a Christian party that has close ties to Saudi Arabia – of mounting the attack. The LF denied any involvement and condemned the violence, which it blamed on Hezbollah's "incitement" against Judge Tarek Bitar, the lead investigator into the port blast, which killed 200 people, wounded thousands, and devastated swathes of Beirut.
One Christian resident of the capital who witnessed the shooting told Israel Hayom it was carried out by snipers and gunmen stationed on roofs and balconies of surrounding buildings.
"Hezbollah and Amal operatives deliberately passed through the Christian neighborhoods to provoke and defy the Christian residents, as most of those killed and injured in the port explosion were Christian residents," he said.
"They assumed we would keep silent while Hezbollah tried to take over Lebanon and turn it into another Iranian province, which is what's happening in Syria. We are sick and tired of Hezbollah destroying Lebanon. The criminal negligence that caused the port last year was also the result of Hezbollah's corrupt conduct in our country."
In contrast, Abou Rafeh, who participated in the demonstration, told Israel Hayom that already on Wednesday, Christians had called for attacks on civilian Hezbollah supporters who planned to join the protest.
"Snipers and gunmen shot at us from several directions. They even used RPG [grenades]. Our demonstration was peaceful and legal, and none of the protesters carried guns. It is our right to demand the replacement of the judge who is doing his utmost to blame Hezbollah for the port explosion.
"If necessary, we will fight for our lives in Beirut and all of Lebanon. We are not afraid. The entire Christian community are collaborators with the Zionist enemy which arms the Christians and works to push Lebanon into another civil war."
Tensions between Shiites and Christians were felt outside the capital as well. Residents of Tripoli, in southern Lebanon, said that Christian political leader Samir Geagea – executive chairman of the Lebanese Forces – ordered the armed Christian militia under his command to "prepare for fighting with armed Hezbollah and Amal operatives."
"Geagea has about 15,000 armed operatives ready for immediate action," one of his supporters said. "If Hezbollah has assumed that we will hand them Lebanon on a plate, well, then, they should think again. Christians used to be the majority in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah has driven them out and took over the area.
"Hezbollah caused Lebanon's downfall when it engaged in unnecessary war against Israel," the supporter continued. "To make matters worse, Hezbollah has completely destroyed the Lebanese society by causing rifts among different sectors, through only supporting the Shiite community. We will not let Hezbollah repeat here in Tripoli what it has done to the north of the country."
Meanwhile, Israel keeps a close watch on internal clashes in Lebanon and estimates that at this stage, fighting between Hezbollah and its opponents in the country will not have a direct impact on Israel.
Nevertheless, as instigating a conflict on the Israeli border is a common maneuver in Lebanon to divert attention from an internal problem, Israel continues to monitor the situation and prepares for any development.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry issued a statement saying the kingdom was following events in Lebanon with interest and hoped the situation stabilizes as soon as possible.
"The Kingdom aspires for Lebanon to achieve security and peace by ending the possession and use of weapons outside the framework of the state, and for strengthening the Lebanese state for the benefit of all Lebanese," the Saudi statement said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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