5 killed in Beirut clashes as tensions over blast probe soar

By ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s interior minister says five people have been killed and 16 wounded in armed clashes that erupted in Beirut during protests organized by Hezbollah and its allies against the lead investigator into last year’s massive blast at the city’s port. The minister told reporters that many of those wounded on Thursday were shot by snipers from buildings. He called the events, “a very dangerous sign.” The protest was organized by the militant Shiite group Hezbollah and its ally, the Shiite Amal Movement. They both want the lead investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, removed from the port blast investigation.