Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: As the Lebanese welcomed the New Year with celebrations, two passenger planes at the Beirut-Rafic Hariri Airport were damaged by stray bullets. Elsewhere, on the streets of Beirut and Tripoli, three people were injured.
A man luckily survived when a random bullet struck his phone while he was wheeling a baggage trolley at the airport.
Two planes were damaged at Beirut airport during New Year celebrations
Two Middle East Airlines Airbus A321Neo aircraft suffered minor damage due to the stray gunshots.
Earlier officials of the Lebanese security services had erected check posts around the airport. Such measures were also taken where bars, cafes, and restaurants are scattered.
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The directorate-general of the Internal Security Forces in a statement said that it was trying to identify likely shooters.
It added that so far 116 people had been identified, all of whom faced arrest.
Regarding the events, the Lebanese Red Cross stated that the New Year’s Eve toll also included 5 people wounded in disputes along with 17 others injured as a result of traffic accidents.