Hezbollah and Amal condemn 'provocative' motorbike convoys

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement on Tuesday condemned Sunday’s motorbike rallies by their supporters that stirred tensions in Beirut and other areas.

The rallies had followed the entry of residents and the Lebanese Army to southern border towns in defiance of Israeli warnings after Israel said it would keep its army in the south beyond the January 27 deadline.

“The people have the right to rejoice in their regions, but without provocation, and we strongly condemn what happened in Beirut,” MP Amin Sherri of Hezbollah said.

“Confronting the Israeli violations is the state’s responsibility and the decision to extend the withdrawal deadline does not concern us,” he added.

The Amal Movement meanwhile called on its members not to take part in “any provocative action or activity,” calling on them to “respect the sensitivities of the Lebanese with all their sects and regions.”

The Movement “rejects the provocations that jeopardize public order, especially motorbike rallies, and it rejects carrying our provocative actions or sectarian slogans,” it said, warning that violators will be penalized or even expelled.

The convoys have been condemned by the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement and some change MPs, after the rallies stirred tensions in Gemmayze, Ain el-Rummaneh, Dora, Bourj Hammoud, Saqiyet al-Janzir and Maghdoushe.

The army announced Monday that it arrested many of those who took part in the rallies, saying the demos involved "gunfire and provocations that jeopardized civil peace."

Adding that it is pursuing the rest of the culprits, the army called on citizens to "show responsibility and act wisely in order to preserve national unity and coexistence."