2 Lebanese Shiites killed in scuffle

A Shiite father and son were killed in Wata al-Jouz in Lebanon’s Jabil district on Thursday, after they assaulted another local man with a butchers’ knife. Ghassan Seif al-Dine, aged 47, and his 22-year-old son Hadi had attacked a resident in the nearby town of Biar Nakhoul, stabbing him with a meat cleaver and leaving him with severe abdominal injuries. A friend of the man, Anthony Khalil, intervened and shot the two men dead from his truck. Maroun Ghanem, mayor of Wata al-Jouz, confirmed the reports. Khalil had been driving his truck when he came upon the Seif al-Dines assaulting the man. After shouting at them, the men attacked Khalil with weapons so he killed them. Issam al-Miqdad, mayor of a nearby Shiite village, also confirmed the reports. The mayor described “unusual tensions” in the area and said he was working closely with security authorities to arrest the killer. Clashes between local residents and security forces in the two villages has intensified in recent months. Ghanem said the incident was being investigated and added that the army has cordoned the area off. A security forces statement announced Khalil, aged 23, had been identified but was found to have fled his home in Harajel. The police are appealing for information about his whereabouts.