The political, security, and judicial repercussions of the armed clashes that took place a year ago between supporters of the "Amal" movement and "Hezbollah" and supporters of the "Lebanese Forces" from the predominantly Christian area of Ain al-Rummaneh have not yet been resolved. These clashes resulted in the deaths of seven supporters of the "Shiite duo," and it appears that the judicial file is still open to further developments. A source close to this file reported that the military judiciary "has not ruled out pursuing the President of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea."
The source revealed to "Asharq Al-Awsat" that the government commissioner at the military court, Judge Fadi Akiki, "sent three letters to the military investigating judge, Fadi Sawwan, who is handling the file, in which he affirmed his claim against Geagea and insisted on bringing him to the military court for questioning as a primary suspect in the case." The source noted that Akiki "requested Sawwan to inform him of the date for Geagea's questioning so he could attend in person, ask the questions he deems appropriate, and present his demands at the end of the investigation, especially since Akiki considers Geagea primarily responsible for what happened in Tayouneh."
The armed clashes occurred on Thursday, October 14, 2021, following a demonstration organized by "Hezbollah" and the "Amal" movement, which began in the Chiah area of southern Beirut and moved to the Justice Palace in Beirut, demanding the dismissal of the lead investigator in the Beirut port explosion case, Tarek Bitar, due to his pursuit of several MPs and politicians associated with this group. However, dozens of young participants in the demonstration entered the Ain al-Rummaneh area, vandalizing cars and shop fronts and chanting political and sectarian slogans. This escalated into gunfire and armed clashes, turning the Chiah and Ain al-Rummaneh areas into a war zone that lasted over five hours, resulting in the death of seven individuals from "Hezbollah" and the "Amal" movement, and dozens of injuries on both sides.
Following the events and the arrests of dozens from both sides, Judge Akiki issued a mandate to the Lebanese Army Intelligence, instructing them to summon Geagea to the Ministry of Defense for questioning as a suspect in these events. However, Geagea rejected this summons, forcing the Army Intelligence to affix the summons notice at the main entrance of his residence in Maarab.
Regarding whether Judge Sawwan has set a date to summon Geagea for questioning, the source close to these investigations explained that Sawwan "is ignoring the summons for Geagea and refuses to proceed with the case against him." The source stated, "If he must be pursued in this file, there should be equality among all, and this should also apply to the leaders of the other side, who covered and justified the actions of their followers and conducted unprecedented military displays in this sensitive area."
The source pointed out that "the number of detainees in this case has settled at four individuals from both sides, after the release of the remaining detainees, who numbered over 50 at the beginning of the events."
The military prosecutor's claim against Geagea stemmed from a statement he made a day before the clashes in Tayouneh, calling for vigilance and urging that this group not be allowed to attack Ain al-Rummaneh. Following the indictment against him, Geagea announced his willingness to attend the investigation, provided that Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, also appears before the judiciary.
