Hezbollah Gunmen Accused of Shooting Shiite Rival's Personal Driver

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A Shiite sheikh who was previously running for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Baalbeck-Hermel Monday said his driver survived a shooting by unidentified gunmen and accused Hezbollah members of being behind the attack.

Sheikh Abbas al-Jawhari’s personal driver was passing through the Baalbek neighborhood of Aasiri Monday when gunmen intercepted his car and fired shots to intimidate the driver, a security source said. Jawhari himself was not in the car when the incident occurred.

The gunmen pulled Jawhari’s driver out of the car and shot at him three times before firing rounds into the air, warning the man not to pass through the area again, the source added. Jawhari accused individuals “belonging to Hezbollah” of perpetrating Monday’s attack, which he interpreted as a political message against him, An-Nahar reported. Jawhari, who has been critical of Hezbollah, was registered to run as a candidate for a Parliament seat in Baalbeck-Hermel until he was arrested on drug charges while visiting Beirut to process passport paperwork on March 22.

After the arrest, Jawhari withdrew from the race and expressed his support for the “Dignity and Development” electoral list, which is a Lebanese Forces and Future Movement collaboration.

This article has been adapted from its original source.