Five Noteworthy Stories You Might Have Missed in Lebanon This Past Week (2/9)
You’re busy, we get it. No sweat. Here’s some of the most important news stories you might have missed from the past week.
1. Suicide Bombing on Choueifat Bus (Photo by Hasan Shaaban, via DailyStar.com)
Three people were arrested this week in connection with a suicide bombing in the town of Choueifat. A suicide bomber, whose identity remains unknown, detonated his explosives while on board a passenger van on Monday that was headed to Dahiyeh.
The suicide bomber was killed in the incident, and two others were injured.
2. Man Arrested for Allegedly Beating Wife to Death (Photo via leorientlejour.com)
Police arrested Mohammad Nhaily near his home in the Beirut neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadideh after reports surfaced that he had beat his wife to death with a pressure cooker earlier in the week. His wife, 34-year-old Manal Assi, was pronounced dead on Wednesday.
3. Police to Set Up Random Checkpoints, Search “Suspicious” Women (Photo by Hasan Shaaban, via DailyStar.com)
Police announced on Friday they would be setting up random checkpoints over the next few days to crack down on stolen vehicles which could potentially be used in suicide bombings. Meanwhile, Al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Thursday that the army has given soldiers the go ahead to search “suspicious” women at checkpoints. According to the paper, this comes after army intelligence found extremists may be using a new tactic in their terror threats, by relying on women to transport explosives. Army leadership has not made any public comments supporting Joumhouria’s claim.
4. New Draft Law Would Require Couples to Pay $333 for Civil Marriage (Photo via rawstory.com)
Lebanon’s Justice Ministry rolled out a new draft law on civil marriage January 29. The legislation would allow couple in Lebanon to obtain a civil marriage without having to leave the country in exchange for a $333 fee to the religious court of the husband’s religion.
5. Sandbags Spotted in Dahiyeh
On Hady Nasrallah Highway, Dahiyeh neighborhood where we’ve seen several bombings in past few months RT @hagop961: pic.twitter.com/zVkXvLSQaz
In a sight reminiscent of the civil war era in Lebanon, employees of the Dahiyeh branch of the Banque Libano-Francaise were seen this week packing the bank’s storefront with sandbags. This comes after a string of bombings in recent weeks.
On December 27, 2013, a car bomb in downtown Beirut killed former Finance Minister Mohammad Chatah, and seven others, while injuring more than 70. On January 2, a suicide car bomb exploded in Beirut, killing five and wounding at least 60. On January 16, a suicide car bomb exploded in Hermel, in the Bekaa Valley, killing five and wounding at least 40 people. On January 21, a suicide car bomb exploded in south Beirut, which left five dead and dozens wounded.
