Mark Daou to LBCI: The Taif Agreement cancels any weapon outside the state

MP Mark Daou confirmed that "the bend of Kahaleh is a real estate belonging to the Aley region, and it was supposed that the municipal police of Aley and the deputies of the region would attend when the incident occurred."

He stated on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show that "despite all the security events that occurred in the past weeks, the head of the Defense Committee in the Parliament, Jihad Al-Samad, did not call for any meeting to discuss the security situation and the security breakdown."

MP Mark Daou recounted the Kahaleh incident: "There was an overloaded truck, and when it reached the bend of Kahaleh, one of its tires was affected, and it toppled. At that moment, men from the area rushed to help those in the truck in the presence of an Internal Security Forces cyclist."

He added: "They broke the glass to free the truck driver. Suddenly, men who were not from the area appeared, and the men of Kahaleh noticed that these individuals had concealed weapons under their clothes. They took the truck driver in one of their cars, which raised suspicions among Kahaleh residents and prompted them to find out what was inside the truck. The men brandished their weapons at the residents, who responded by throwing stones."

"The men then fired shots into the air to disperse the residents, but they did not leave. Here, direct gunfire was aimed at cars, properties, and people. The parish priest's car was hit by five bullets. Then, Fadi Bejjani came out and retaliated against the gunmen; one was killed, and another was wounded. He was then targeted with seven bullets and killed. Then everyone dispersed, and military intelligence arrived and took over the scene."

Regarding the statements of Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi and  MP Mohammad Raad about the Taif Agreement, Daou commented, "It seems that Mohammad Raad has not read the Taif Agreement, which states that all weapons outside the state should be surrendered to the state after six months. Everyone surrendered their weapons except for Hezbollah and the Amal Movement." 

Noting that the "Taif Agreement cancels any weapon outside the state, period."

He also indicated that he would follow up the investigations into the Kahaleh case, saying, "We will establish a precedent that anyone who commits a crime will be arrested and detained, and the one who killed Fadi Bejjani will be arrested."