Source: Assafir, 14-05-2008
Hizbullah sources denied the allegations circulated among the ruling party around what had occurred in the Niha-Barouk area late Sunday night and stressed that what had occured is the opposite of what is being reported by them in an attempt to raise their spirits and to cover up the loss which their militias bore in the confrontations between them and the opposition forces.
Hizbullah's sources clarified that the resistance has a checkpoint deep in the area and takes the form of a patrol in the Niha-Barouk barren mountains, the matter which is related to protecting the south from any ‘Israeli' aggression. The checkpoint had been reinforced after the security developments. Albeit, members of the Progressive Socialist Party who were nervous and on alert noticed the presence of the checkpoint-patrol and sent groups to the checkpoint and opened fire on the patrol which was exposed. The patrol initially avoided a clash with them knowing that they could have exterminated many of the PSP members, particularly since the incident occurred after the ceasefire. But the excessiveness on the part of the PSP members pushed the patrol to answer forcefully appropriate manner resulting in seven PSP casualties, some wounded, others killed meanwhile none of the patrol members were hit.
Quite the contrary happened. PSP authorities contacted the army and speaker Nabih Berri begging for a ceasefire to pull their casualties out and expressed their willingness to cooperate with the patrol if the patrol was on a specified mission. The patrol whose presence should be secretive safely withdrew from the area.