The residents, municipality, and leaders of Arsal condemned in a statement the "criminal attack on the three sons of the town, Mohammed, Nayef, and Hussein Ra'id," demanding the "revelation of the murderous criminals and their handover to justice."
The statement continued: "With deep sorrow and grief, we received on Monday night the news of the heinous attack on our three sons, Mohammed and Nayef, and Hussein Ra'id, which resulted in the martyrdom of Mohammed Ali Ra'id and the injury of Nayef Hussein Ra'id, while we thank God for the safety of Hussein Saleh Ra'id."
It added: "Based on our unwavering belief in the teachings of our righteous faith, and the morals and customs that we were raised on in our patient town of Arsal, it is important for us as the Ra'id family and for all the residents, municipality, elders, and influential figures of the town to clarify that we consider our dear son Mohammed a martyr before the Lord of the worlds, and he will be rewarded with the heavens near the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his honorable spring. We wish a speedy recovery for our son Nayef."
The statement indicated that "this is not the first time that our townspeople have been subjected to such attacks; rather, these incidents have happened dozens of times without any crime being uncovered or any perpetrator being apprehended."
The statement urged "the security forces, especially the Lebanese army and its commander, General Joseph Aoun, whom we trust, to take serious and effective action to uncover the murderous criminals so that the culture of self-security does not prevail."
Furthermore, it added: "While we appreciate the initiative, cooperation, and statement from the honorable residents of Makne condemning the crime, we appeal to all political, party, and tribal forces in our region, given their moral and security weight, to ensure the identification of the murderous criminals and their handover to justice."
It stressed, "Our blood in Arsal is not open to the murderous criminals from the outcasts, and our money and the sustenance of our families earned through our hard work is not to be plundered by gangs that have no religion or morals. And let those who have wronged know what fate awaits them."
It concluded: "Our position is clear as expressed in this statement, and we have no connection to any other statements from groups or individuals on social media."
