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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| ISF kills suspect in the Bekaa |
| 2004-03-22 |
| A Lebanese suspect wanted by authorities in connection with an alleged attack on a US diplomatic convoy in September was shot dead Saturday by security forces in eastern Lebanon, police said. In a joint operation, Internal Security Forces (ISF) and intelligence agents infiltrated the village of Hammoudiyeh, south of Baalbek, in a part of Lebanon under Syrian control. They threw grenades at the home of Mohammed Ali Ismail, 40, who returned fire. Ismail, who was also wanted on drug trafficking charges, was killed instantly and his wife, Zeinab Masri, was seriously wounded in both legs, police said. Masri was rushed to the Dar al-Amal University Hospital, where both of her legs were amputated. In September 2003, a US Embassy convoy carrying the US military attache based in Beirut allegedly came under fire in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. No one was wounded and no vehicles were damaged in the incident. Lebanese police and US authorities had been investigating the incident. Local politicians condemned Ismail's killing, saying that the government should resort to justice in solving a crime. Ali Hamadeh, the son of former speaker Sabri Hamadeh, said that Ismail's crime did not justify his being killed by the authorities. "We are not against the implementation of the law, but the law should be enforced in a way that penalizes crime fairly," he said. "Aren't poverty and humiliation enough? Must homes be targeted and women and children be terrorized too!" Hamade made the comment in a statement Saturday after the ISF raided Ismail's hometown. Ismail's home was destroyed and a gray 280-model Mercedes parked near the house was damaged. While Mukhtar Hassan Ismail called for an investigation, Hamadeh strongly denounced the act as "unmatched to the crime. We can only feel that the civil community in the Baalbek-Hermel area does not receive necessary protection," Hamade said. |
| Posted by:Fred |