Shooting erupted when members of Wahab's Tawhid Movement and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) were plastering political posters in the main square of the village.

The National News Agency said a gunman from the Abu Diab family then opened fire killing a man it identified as Muayed al Ayass and wounding five others. Future TV said the shooter was one of Wahab's supporters.

Acting Interior Minister Ahmed Fatfat did not say who was responsible for the shooting but confirmed that all the casualties were among Jumblatt 's followers.

"Until now no one has been arrested. The gunmen have escaped to an unidentified location and the army and security forces are chasing them down," he told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Fatfat, who described the situation in the area as still "tense," said: "It is obvious that certain parties are doing their best to incite trouble”, in reference to Syria and its allies

He said Jumblatt has given orders to his followers to contain the situation "to avoid being dragged into strife."

The clash within the Druze community follows months of tension between Jumblatt, a major anti-Syrian figure who is considered the most prominent Druze leader, and Wahab, a staunch Syrian ally who is trying to challenge Jumblatt' s influence over the sect with funding and support from Iran and Syria..

In April, Wahab 's bodyguards shot and wounded three people attending a funeral in the Hasbaya region during a brawl over his presence there.

Some of the residents of the mainly-Druze Khalwat al Kfeir village objected to Wahab 's presence there and clashed with his security guards who then fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

MP Wael Abou Faour, a member of Jumblatt 's parliamentary bloc, at the time accused Wahab of acting on Syria's behalf to ignite an inter-Druze strife and threatened to press charges against him.

Wahab also threatened to press charges against Abou Faour and Jumblatt for what he said was as an attempt on his life by the two politicians' followers.

Syria is behind the trouble

Ya Libnan correspondent in Jahliyeh reported that Wahab, who served as a minister in the former government of Omar Karami has very few followers amongst the Druze community. The Syrians have been using Wahab ever since Jumblatt in 2004 opposed the extension of president Emile Lahoud ‘s term to divide up the Druze community. So far Syria has failed , because the Druze community looks down at Wahab and views him as a Syrian tool.

Our correspondent reported that Wiam Wahab who lives in Jahliyeh, is related by marriage to the Abu Diab family but has very few supporters in the family, due to his Syrian connections. Most Druze do not trust Syria because ever since Syria invaded Lebanon it was very hostile to the community which was then headed by Walid’s father Kamal Jumblatt who was assassinated by the Syrians in 1977.

Syria, a master in” Divide and Rule “ politics has been able to divide up most of the Lebanese communities but so far failed in dividing up the Druze community . Ya Libnan correspondent has reported that recently Syria and Iran have intensified their efforts by providing Wahab with intelligence and financial support because the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has exposed the long range plans of Syria and Iran for the region.

In a recent interview Jumblatt accused Iran and Syria of exporting al Qaida to Lebanon to turn this tiny country into another Iraq.
Picture: Pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud ( L) and Wiam Wahab

Sources: Ya Libnan, Naharnet