Lebanon authorities seek calm in Beqaa Valley

Lebanon’s troubled Beqaa Valley will not be turned into a military zone following the killing of four Shiiite men on Sunday, a minister has implied. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Lebanese authorities have not discussed militarising the area, stressing that the different factions in the Valley were cooperating with authorities and are committed to “preventing further unrest.” The minister, who met with Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and caretaker Prime Minister Naguib Mikati at Babada Palace, said the president had also praised the tribes in the Beqaa Valley for their patience and awareness of the need to avoid an escalation of violence. The killing of four men, thought to have been smuggling fuel into the Qaa area, in an ambush by an unknown gunman on Sunday is the latest in a series of violent incidents to hit the Valley. The region has witnessed more violence spill over from nearby Syria since the border town of Qusayr was seized by regime forces two weeks ago.      In a bid to maintain calm following the killings, Prime Minister Nabih Berry sent Public Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil to visit the bereaved Amhaz family, while a number of Hezbollah members also met with families of victims and urged restraint. The Lebanese Shiite group also called on residents of nearby Sunni town of Arsal to cooperate with authorities and help identify those responsible for the shooting. Charbel also indicated that President Sleiman has ordered authorities to investigate the killings and bring suspects to trial. Security sources told Arab Today that preliminary investigations suggest the involvement of 11 people in the ambush, although the motive for the crime is still unknown. The sources added that authorities are relying on the testimony of a fifth man who survived the shooting, as he is believed to have accurate information that could lead to the identification of the perpetrators. Relatives of the victims, however, have accused residents of Arsal of carrying out the killings and are demanding they give themselves up to the authorities. Arsal residents deny any involvement in the incident.