Lebanese army threatens media that depict Hezbollah in Sidon battle. [View all]
BEIRUT — Amid a brewing controversy over the participation of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in a Lebanese army operation against a radical Sunni cleric, army officials said Friday that they were considering filing judicial charges against news outlets that broadcast footage that appeared to confirm the group’s role.
The threat came even as the army came under fire from human rights advocates and Sunni political figures after amateur video surfaced that appeared to show soldiers beating an unarmed detainee. The army also is being accused in the death of another detainee, who was being questioned after his arrest during the two-day siege of a mosque complex occupied by followers of Sheikh Ahmad al Assir.
Hezbollah’s participation in the Sidon operation was first reported by journalists working for McClatchy and The Times of London who’d witnessed the militant group’s fighters in combat. The Lebanese army energetically denied their reports Monday, but they were confirmed by the broadcast on Lebanese TV of video of apparent Hezbollah fighters conducting military operations.
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/06/28/195327/lebanese-army-threatens-media.html#.Uc72Dcu9KSM#storylink=cpy
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