A disappearing border

ENAR

The deadly February 1 gun battle in the Bekaa town of Arsal illustrates two dangerous ongoing developments in Lebanon: firstly, the rising sectarian bitterness felt by Sunnis against Shias, and secondly, the volatility of the northern Bekaa. The details of the incident are still shrouded in uncertainty. What is known is that a unit from military intelligence shot and killed Khaled Hmayed, a resident of Arsal, as he was driving to a mosque for noon prayers. What is also known is that a crowd of some 200 to 300 armed residents of Arsal chased the army unit into the wilderness south of the town and caught up with the soldiers when their vehicles became stuck in snow and mud. An officer and a soldier were shot dead in the ensuing firefight. See also: Mapping Syria's armed opposition Stop the Syria spillover: towards a security pact The army subsequently said that