The Lebanese government vowed on Monday to restore security to an area of a deadly shooting that has stirred fear of renewed strife among the Druze community in the Chouf Mountains. Two aides of State Minister for Refugee Affairs Saleh al-Gharib were killed on Sunday in the incident in the Aley region in what he termed an attempted assassination. The Supreme Defense Council, which includes the president and security chiefs, said it had taken “decisive” measures to restore security to the area and bring to justice those involved. “This is to bury strife, safeguard the prestige of the state and to spare innocent blood,” the council said in a statement, adding that the decisions would remain secret. President Michel Aoun chaired the council meeting at the Baabda palace. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and senior security and judicial officials. No arrests have been announced yet. The incident spiraled as supporters of Druze leader and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblatt protested against a planned visit to the area by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. He ultimately canceled the visit, saying he wanted to avoid any security problem. Gharib, a Druze politician, is politically aligned with Bassil and backed by Jumblatt’s Druze rival MP Talal Arslan, head of the Lebanese Democratic Party. The PSP has accused Gharib’s bodyguards of opening fire on the protesters, leading to an exchange of fire in which two PSP supporters were also wounded. Arslan, in a televised news conference, said the state must act. “If the state does not strike with an iron fist there will be negative repercussions in more than one area,” he said. The families of the men killed on Sunday have said they will not bury them until the perpetrators are handed over.