Two people were killed in Lebanon on Wednesday in an exchange of fire between members of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and residents of a Christian village, Reuters reported.
A member of Hezbollah and a resident of the mountain village of Kahaleh were killed in the clash, some 12 km southeast of Beirut, sources said. The sides accused each other of starting the deadly clash, which occurred after a truck belonging to Hezbollah overturned in the area.
It marked the most serious confrontation between Hezbollah and its Lebanese opponents since deadly clashes in Beirut nearly two years ago.
Local lawmakers from the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party opposed to Hezbollah, accused the group of transporting weapons in the truck.
Hezbollah said the vehicle was its property and accused "militias" in the area of attacking its crew, saying a man "protecting the truck" was wounded and later died. It added an exchange of fire had taken place with "the attacking gunmen". It did not say what was on the truck.
The incident follows recent deadly clashes between Palestinian Arab factions in the Ain Al-Hilweh “Palestinian refugee camp”, located near the port city of Sidon.
As of last Monday, at least 11 people had been killed and dozens wounded in the fighting, according to UNRWA.
Lebanese caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said this week that the situation in Ain Al-Hilweh has stabilized.
"The atmosphere has calmed down, and security agencies continue to exert effort to arrest the perpetrators," Mawlawi was quoted as having said at a press conference in Beirut.