At Least 5 Killed in Attack on Hizbullah-Backed Protest Against Beirut Port Judge

At least five people were killed and 25 others injured in Beirut from gunfire directed at people taking part in a demonstration called by Hizbullah against the judge investigating the August 2020 Beirut port explosion last year that left over 200 dead and thousands injured and further deepened Lebanon’s severe financial crisis. The protest against Judge Tarek Bitar took place on Thursday at the Beirut Justice Palace, located between Muslim Shiite and Christian areas. and the shooting reportedly came from a nearby Christian neighborhood. The protest came hours after a Lebanese court declined to remove Bitar from the case in response to a lawsuit alleging bias. All of the dead reported so far are Shiite Muslims, including a woman who was hit while inside her own home. The attack led to retaliation from members of Hizbullah and the Amal movement. Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who has backed Bitar, called for calm and warned that citizens should be careful “not to be dragged into civil strife.”