A large explosion rocked a stronghold of the Hezbollah
group south of the Lebanese capital Tuesday, setting several cars on
fire and causing an unknown number of casualties, security officials
said.
The powerful blast came as many among Lebanon's Shiites
began observing the holy month of Ramadan, and is the worst explosion to
hit the area in years as a direct fallout of the civil war raging in
neighboring Syria.
Hezbollah sealed off the site of the explosion, a shopping mall run by the group in the the Bir al-Abed district for fears of a second one.
The blast was caused by a car
bomb, identified as a Renault Rapid by military sources, in a parking lot nearby the Al-Hussein Bin Ali technical school. Sources then told LBCI the vehicle carrying the explosives, which weight at 35 kilograms, was identified as a Nissan SUV.
Ambulances rushed to the scene as residents struggled alongside civil defense units to put out the fire that had erupted as a result of the explosion.
The Lebanese Armed Forces established a security cordon around the area
as civil defense units pulled out vehicles from the parking lot where the explosives on board the booby trapped car had detonated. This as acting Internal Security Forces Head General Ibrahim Basbous inspected the location.
Ambulances and fire engines, their sirens wailing, raced to the area and
witnesses said casualties were rushed to the nearby Bahman and Rasoul
al-Aazam hospitals. People were seen running in the street away from the
site.
The power of the blast shattered windows and damaged several buildings in the busy residential and commercial area. Thick black smoke billowed above, seen for many kilometers afar. It also created a 2-meter deep crater alluding to its size.
George Kettaneh, the operations director for the Lebanese Red Cross told LBCI that several wounded were transferred to nearby hospitals adding that the organization is yet to confirm any deaths. He then said that 37 people were slightly injured and transferred to medical centers. Bahman hospital, located in the area, confirmed 40 injured persons.
Speaking to LBCI, Caretaker Health Minister Ali
Hassan Khalil then said that 41 out of 53 injured persons were discharged from hospitals after having only sustained minor injuries.
For its part, al-Manar TV channel correspondent said that no deaths resulted from the blast, adding that the damage was only limited to material losses. The channel then confirmed several wounded, adding that nearby buildings sustained damages, including cracks in the walls. Al-Manar is run by Hezbollah and serves as its media mouthpiece.
With skirmishes between Shiites and Sunnis on the rise around the
country, religiously mixed and highly fragile Lebanon is increasingly
buffeted by powerful forces that are dividing the Arab world along
sectarian lines. Some Syrian rebel groups, which are
predominantly Sunni, have threatened to strike in Lebanon after
Hezbollah joined Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops in their battle
against opposition fighters.
In May, two rockets slammed into the Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut,
wounding four people. The rockets struck hours after Hezbollah leader
Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah vowed in a speech to help propel Assad to
victory in Syria's civil war.
In June, a rocket slammed into the same area, causing no casualties.
Hezbollah
has openly joined the fight in Syria, and the group's fighters were
instrumental in a recent regime victory when government forces regained
control of the strategic town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border.
Lebanon's
Sunni Muslims mostly back the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels in Syria,
while many Shiites support Assad, who is a member of Syria's minority
Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.
Reactions:
President Michel Sleiman deplored the
incident saying that “resorting to such moves bring back dark memories
of days the Lebanese had thought were long gone." He reiterated his call
for dialogue and consensus among all Lebanese factions, and the need to
commit to the Baabda Declaration.
This
as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati also denounced the explosion,
describing it as a an act carried out by "criminal hands that do not
distinguish regions in Lebanon."
"The Lebanese must gather to address the ongoing security and political crisis in Lebanon," he said.
In
turn, Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam described the Dahieh attack
as heinous saying that it "strikes Lebanon’s stability and security and
is a clear attempt at creating strife."
House Speaker Nabih Berri also denounced the explosion describing it as an act to incite strife among Lebanese citizens. He warned of grave consequences should these security breaches continue.
Shortly after the attack,
caretaker Minister of Interior Marwan Charbel arrived to the scene
where he said that a Sunni-Shiite strife is the goal behind this
explosion.
"This attempt at sedition is rejected by all Lebanese and will not proceed," he said.
Gunshots were fired in the air as the convoy of the minister left the area with gatherers throwing objects at the convoy.
Popular
masses gathered at the scene of the blast hoisting posters of Hezbollah
leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and chanting support slogans to the
group in an act of defiance and solidarity in the wake of the explosion.
Caretaker Minister Charbel was held up for a short period in the
region before Hezbollah members worked on opening the road for his
convoy to leave. One person was wounded due to gunshots that were fired
in the air to disperse the crowds.
Speaking to LBCI via a
telephone interview, caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn stressed
“the need for cooperation between all Lebanese to prevent the country
from falling into strife.”
He pointed out that there are some
attempts aiming at destabilizing the security situation, adding that the
intelligence bureau is now following up on the issue.
For his part, caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Adnan Mansour said Lebanon is
going through a critical security situation, adding that officials
should set political feuds aside and remain vigilant of security risks that threaten the country.
Similarly, caretaker Information Minister Walid Daouk decried the incident calling on politicians to tone down political rhetoric in order to prevent the country further security breaches.
Clergy:
The Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said that the
explosion that targeted Bir al-Abed indicates that there are attempts
to create strife between the Lebanese people.
Hezbollah:
The first
reaction from Hezbollah was voiced by the member of the Loyalty to the
Resistance bloc MP Ali Ammar who went down to scene of the explosion,
where he pointed the finger at the "Israeli enemy and its tools inside
the country," adding that it was up to the security forces and the
judiciary to investigate the incident.
"Dahieh is being targeted
on a round an hour basis politically as well as tangibly, and this is
because the area symbolized the 'head of the spear' in the battle
against Israel," he said, stressing that neither Hezbollah nor Dahieh
would yield to the pressure.
“It is too soon to anticipate the
results of the investigations and the security forces have cordoned off
the area, contrary to the statements of some people who said that the
government is absent in south Beirut,” he stated, confirming that the
region is in the hands of the security apparatuses.
March 8:
Development and Liberation Bloc MP Ghazi Zeaiter said that this attack
is a message to the entire Lebanese nation, adding that it aims at
breaching the country's stability.
MP Ali Bazzi said all Lebanese
partisans must share a national sense of responsibility in order to
prevent strife from being instigated in the country.
Meanwhile,
Change and Reform Bloc MP Alain Aoun denounced the attack targeting the
Beirut Southern Suburbs, rejecting strife and calling on citizens to act
in a reasonable manner in order to overcome this critical stage.
March 14:
Former PM Saad Hariri said that the new attack targeting the
Beirut Southern Suburbs should awaken them [in reference to Hezbollah]
on the need to return to the charters of the national pact and the
dissociation policy. He then called for the highest level of awareness and vigilance in the face of dangers that threaten the country and the entire region and which provide leeway for enemy threats.
Similarly, MP Fouad Siniora denounced the
attack, describing it as an attempt at fomenting strife and instability
in the country.
This as the March 14 General Secretariat also
deplored the incident, noting that such attacks targets the entire
nation, stressing that the judicial and security authorities must take
the necessary measures to unveil the perpetrators.
In turn, Head of the Kataeb Party Amine Gemayel said that targeting any Lebanese region targets the entire Lebanese nation. This as MP Sami Gemayel told LBCI "the attack was the result of
Lebanon's intervention in the Syrian crisis," in reference to Hezbollah. Gemayel then called on officials to
maintain the safety of Lebanese people.
In
the same context, Lebanese Forces' Chief Samir Geagea denounced the
attack adding that the security of citizens and the nation should be the
responsibility of the state.
The head of the National Struggle
Front MP Walid Jumblatt said that the attack which targeted the region
of Bir al-Abed aims at destabilizing national security and stability.
Tripoli:
Celebratory gunfire was heard in northern
Lebanon's Bab el-Tebbaneh area, a suburb of an embattled Tripoli, also
the scene of Sunni-Shiite skirmishes directly linked to supporters and
opponents of the Syrian regime.
International Reactions:
US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly strongly condemned on Tuesday the bombing in the Bir al-Abed neighborhood of Beirut Southern Suburb, expressing the United States’ deepest sympathies and concern for those reportedly wounded in the attack.
In turn, French authorities denounced the attack targeting the Beirut
Southern suburbs, reiterating their support to Lebanon's stability.
This as Hamas sternly condemned the blast calling for a rejection of
strife "which only serves the Zionist enemy," highlighting the necessity
to preserve security and stability in Lebanon.
For his part, the Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said Israel is not involved in the Bir al-Abed
explosion, adding that its is the result of the Sunni-Shiite conflict and the
expansion of Syrian crisis into the Lebanese territories.
FSA:
For
his part, the political and media coordinator of the Free Syrian Army
Luay al-Meqdad denounced the attack, adding to An-Nahar newspaper that
the Syrian regime and the Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah should bear the responsibility of their actions.
REUTERS/AP/LBCI
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