A family in Ain al Thahab, Akkar, almost got hit with stray bullets that were shot in a wedding in a nearby village.
The Alloush family were gathered in the front yard of their home when the first stray bullet hit one of the windows of their home and another right where they were sitting.
This is not an unusual occurrence in Lebanon where celebratory shooting is a tradition people don’t seem to want to stop despite its lethal risks.
Those bullets shot in the air don’t just disappear. They fall back to the ground, sometimes near unsuspecting pedestrians, or worst, they strike people nearby.
The Alloush family may have only faced material damage, however, some families are less lucky. Last Monday, a 7-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet in the town of Minyara.
Back in June, a stray bullet hit an 8-year-old girl near her spine while on her way to get ice cream in her town in Akkar.
Dramatic incidents related to celebratory shootings keep happening across the country despite many requests for citizens to stop them. The ISF has launched many campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of this practice, to no avail.
People continue with that illegal tradition during weddings and funerals.
The Lebanese law states clearly that the minimum sentence in the case of harming someone by shooting in the air is 9 months to 3 years in prison and a fine that’s 5 to 10 times the minimum wage.
People are not the only victims of stray bullets in Lebanon. Airplanes flying over are also at risk. On New Year, 4 of MEA’s airplanes were hit by celebratory bullets.
