1 killed, 2 wounded in Lebanon's Chouf district

One person has been killed and two injured in clashes between supporters of Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and Arab Tawhid Party in the Lebanese city of Baqaata, Chouf district. PSP officials said the gunman, identified as security official Ayman al-Fatayari, has been detained and handed over to the relevant authorities. In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the centre-left movement claimed that the incident stemmed from a private dispute. "The gunman has been handed over to relevant authorities in order for the law to take its course. "The incident is private and does not have any political or factional links," the statement emphasised. The PSP statement also highlighted the party's commitment to internal stability. "Internal stability is a principle that the Progressive Socialist Party is committed to, now more than ever." Earlier on Saturday, the Arab Tawhid Party issued a statement in which it gave brief details of the incident, and named the gunman as al-Fatayari, claiming that he is a security official from the PSP. The party said that the clashes had been triggered by an individual dispute between Marwan al-Ashqar and Kifah Hani, a restaurant owner from Baqaata. "A PSP security official, Ayman al-Fatayri, who had nothing to do with the dispute, soon intervened by shooting at Hani, soldier Jad al-Beaini, and Arab Tawhid Party member Bashar al-Beaini," it added. Al-Beaini later died in hospital from gunshot wounds. The statement claimed that the gunman had fled to the town of Moukhtara, 30 miles from Beirut. PSP, a party which draws on support from followers of the Druze faith, is led by veteran Lebanese politician Walid Jumblat.