Armed Men Storm Mosque in Barqayel

A number of armed men stormed the Al-Dalba Mosque in Barqayel, Akkar during the Friday sermon. They expelled the worshippers from the mosque courtyard and forced the preacher, Sheikh Yacoub M., to step down from the pulpit. Following the forceful removal of the Sheikh, a second Sheikh continued the prayer without completing the Friday sermon. Reports indicated that the armed men are relatives of the Sheikh, being his cousins, and that there were previous family disputes that escalated into today's mosque invasion. This incident has raised the ire of the town's residents regarding the violation of the sanctity of the mosque and its worshippers, prompting calls for security forces to intervene, establish control, and punish the intruders to prevent such assaults on places of worship in the future.