Thursday, 14 January, 2021 - 09:45
A container housing unit displaying the flag of the Hezbollah group in the Byblos District (Asharq Al-Awsat) Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat
A land dispute that erupted Tuesday in the Lebanese Afqa municipality in the Byblos District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate spurred fears of renewed sectarian tensions breaking out between Maronite Christians and Shiite Muslims in the area.
The threat of violence erupting prompted one of the area’s prominent Shiite clerics to urge the head of the Maronite Church, Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, to issue an official stance to quell sectarian tensions.
It is worth noting that the Byblos District includes a mix of Maronite and Shiite locals.