Earlier in the day, Gharib told the NNA news agency that unknown gunmen had opened fire against his convoy, killing one of its members and leaving three more injured. Later on, a source told Sputnik that the shooting had left two minister's companions dead.
"Everything that happened was an armed ambush, an attempt to kill [Foreign] Minister Gebran Bassil. It was the supporters of the socialists [the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party], who did not know there was [State Minister for Displaced Affairs] Saleh Gharib in the convoy," a source told the LBC channel.
However, the socialist party's representatives told the channel that it was Gharib’s companions that had opened fire against the locals, who had been removing burning tires.
According to media reports, the member of the Progressive Socialist Party was also wounded in the shooting.
In early June, Bassil caused massive criticisms over his tweet claiming that Lebanese workers should come first and be given priority in the job market. Many described such a statement as racist and even urged Bassil to resign.