March 14 Urges Govt. to Implement Security Plan in Bekaa in Light of Btedei Unrest

The March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday the recent clashes in the eastern Bekaa town of Btedei, saying it was a sign that the “state is incapable of seizing control of security.”

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The government should implement a security plan in the Bekaa similar to the one adopted in the North.”

“The Bekaa has been witnessing security, social, and political instability since the eruption of the Syrian conflict,” it remarked.

“The instability increased with Hizbullah's participation in the fighting in Syria. It has heightened sectarian tensions and paved the way to kidnappings, theft, and drug abuse,” it noted.

The recent sign of this insecurity was the weekend's unrest in Btedei, said the March 14 General Secretariat.

“The government succeeded in implementing a security plan in the North and it is failing to do so in the Bekaa because of Hizbullah's refusal,” it stressed.

“The party is using its illegitimate arms to bully others and refusing to cooperate. Security and political officials have complained over this matter,” it stated.

“The General Secretariat therefore demands the March 14 parliamentary blocs to pressure the government to implement the security plan in the Bekaa,” it said.

“Any lax approach in this matter will expose the Bekaa, and the whole of Lebanon as a result, to further deterioration,” it added.

Sobhi and Nadimeh Fakhri were killed and their son Romeo was wounded during weekend clashes between the Lebanese army and a number of gunmen west of Baalbek.

The gunmen were fleeing raids carried out by the Lebanese army in the Dar al-Wasaa area when they entered the Fakhri house with the intent of taking their vehicle.

The family refused to meet the demands of the armed men, which prompted them to shoot the couple and their son.

The residents of Btedei have warned they would go after the criminals if the authorities failed to arrest them. They held the Jaafar clan responsible for the crime.

The Jaafar clan, however, issued a statement in which they voiced regret over “the martyrdom of Nadimeh and Sobhi Fakhri.”

M.T.

Y.R.