Man killed as clashes break out between army, villagers in north Lebanon

The clashes took place as the army was trying to reopen a blocked road used to transport livestock in the village of Majdal in the Wadi Khaled area of north Lebanon, near the Syrian border.

"As troops from the army tried to reopen a road fro transporting livestock in Majdal in the Wadi Khaled area in Akkar, a group of youths threw stones at the troops. This forced them to use rubber bullets and to fire in the air," a statement from the army said.

"A man called Luai Al-Satim was injured. He was taken to hospital before passing away," the statement added.

The Lebanese army said ten of its soldiers were injured in the stone throwing, two of them seriously.

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Young men from Majdal had blocked the road since Thursday, after Lebanese army soldiers confiscated cattle they said had been smuggled from Syria.

The Lebanese army statement said that the army managed to reopen the road "and return the situation to normal, while an investigation was opened into the circumstances of the young man's death, under the supervision of specialised judiciary".

The family of Luai Al-Satim said in a statement that they were "under the authority of the law" and called on the army to "open a transparent investigation".

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The people of of Majdal said that the livestock confiscated by the army was not intended for smuggling but for sacrifice on the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival.

Lebanon is currently in the midst of a serious economic crisis, which has seen a rise in poverty and unemployment.

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