Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah has issued a statement condemning an arson attack at the Syrian refugee camp in northern Lebanon and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and punished.

Iran PressMiddle East: "What happened in the displaced Syrians' camp in the town of Bhannine in Minieh is a crime against the innocent citizens of Syria, and we call on the authorities to prevent the recurrence of these painful incidents by prosecuting the perpetrators and punishing them severely," said the statement.

Hezbollah also stressed the "need to maintain a spirit of cooperation and brotherhood between the Lebanese people and their Syrian brothers."

Earlier, the official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported that several Lebanese citizens set fire to a Syrian refugee camp in the town of Minieh on Sunday night. The arson at the camp, which houses about 100 tents, has displaced hundreds of Syrian refugees.

The fire that began late on Saturday raged for four hours as firefighters tried to put it out, the Lebanese civil defense personnel said.

The fire began following a fight between a Lebanese family and Syrians living in the camp in the al-Miniyeh district in the country’s north, according to Lebanese media reports.

The Lebanese army said on Sunday it had conducted raids and arrested two Lebanese men and six Syrians as part of the investigation. The statement said the Lebanese men had fired weapons into the air and torched the tents.

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