According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (abna.ir), South Lebanon went to the polls on Sunday with Hizbullah-backed candidates running uncontested in mainly Shiite areas, as the group’s archfoe Israel held a defense drill across the border.
Meanwhile, strident rhetoric spilled over into physical violence in the coastal city of Sidon on Sunday as clashes erupted across the city’s polling stations.
In the southern mountainous town of Jezzine, the army’s presence was less obtrusive as rival lists vied – albeit more calmly than in Sidon – for support.
Areas under Hizbullah control settled the electoral race by consensus, with several candidates withdrawing to make way for others backed by Hizbullah and its fellow Shiite ally the Amal Movement.
On Friday, Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah asked voters to cast ballots in favor of candidates backed by his group as they formed part of “a strategic alliance that protects the [anti-Israeli] resistance and boosts its immunity.”
The election came as Israel launched a five-day nationwide defense drill codenamed “Turning Point 4” that the military said aims to prepare the Israeli public for emergencies but is not linked to any specific threat.
However, Hizbullah , which fought a devastating 2006 war with Israel, mobilized thousands of fighters on Sunday, while Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri protested that the exercises “run counter to peace efforts.”
About 355,000 people are registered to vote in southern Lebanon, but there was no official estimate on anticipated turnout as many of those on the electoral list live abroad
Lebanon’s phased local polls for a total registered electorate of 3.33 million are being held on every Sunday in May, except for May 16. The final round is scheduled for next week in the north of the country.
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