Lebanon's army has increased patrols in Beirut and its southern suburbs and set up temporary checkpoints after a rise in tension with Hezbollah supporters, The National reports. The friction follows the seizure of 500kg of explosives at a Bekaa Valley checkpoint before they could reach the capital's suburbs. Hezbollah says the material was its own and meant for use against Israeli forces in south Lebanon, and has demanded its return along with the release of two drivers.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has ordered a wider investigation. Separately, police trying to raid a warehouse on the edge of the southern suburbs were surrounded by young men on motorcycles, and the army was sent in to calm the situation.
Source: The National
Photo: St georges orthodox cathedral beirut by Vladanr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Illustrative image of Beirut.