Beirut-Sana
The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Youssef Al-Absi, denounced the events that took place yesterday in Tayouneh in Beirut, expressing his regret for the victims and injured as a result.
According to a statement issued by his media office, Patriarch al-Absi indicated that the events of Tayouneh recall the atmosphere of the Lebanese civil war and provide the security violators with the opportunity to aggravate matters, stressing his categorical rejection of attacks on citizens and public and private property from any party, extending his condolences to the families of the victims and his wishes for a speedy recovery for the wounded.
Patriarch al-Absi called for the language of reason to prevail and to work to consolidate reconciliation and the foundations of coexistence, stressing the responsibility of the Lebanese state with all its institutions to anticipate any action that affects civil peace so that the incident does not recur.
Gunmen from the Lebanese Forces militia attacked peaceful demonstrators yesterday in the Tayouneh area, killing seven people, injuring more than sixty people, and many of them are still in hospitals for treatment.