Eight suicide bombers attacked a Lebanese Christian village on Monday, killing five people and wounding dozens more, in the latest violent spillover of the five-year-old Syrian war into Lebanon.
A first wave of attacks involved four suicide bombers who struck after 4 am in the village of al-Qaa on Lebanon's border with Syria, killing five people, all civilians.
The first bomber blew himself up after being confronted by a resident, with the other three detonating their bombs one after the other as people arrived at the scene. The Lebanese army said four soldiers were among the wounded.
A second series of attacks, involving at least four bombers, took place in the evening as residents were preparing the funerals of those killed earlier. Two of the four bombers blew themselves up outside the church of Mar Elias, security sources said. Nobody was killed.
The other suicide bombers attempted to target soldiers, but detonated their belts without causing any casualties other than themselves.
Lebanese Red Cross chief George Kettani said that these bombings wounded 13 people, who were admitted to the hospitals of Hermel.
One person was critically injured and was transported to a hospital in Beirut.
Al-Qaa mayor Bashir Matar urged residents to stay at home and shoot anyone suspicious. The governor of Baalbek-Hermel Bashir Khodr meanwhile imposed a curfew on Syrian refugees in the area.
Security forces called on residents in the town to remain at home and avoid crowding around attack sites.
The army brought in additional reinforcements to the town, and army units began implementing search and raid operations in the town and its surroundings in search of suspects.
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk visited the sites of the explosions on Tuesday, revealing that the suicide bombers came from inside Syria and not the refugee camps.
Machnouk addressed the Lebanese parties and politicians saying that “it’s true that the army did and will not fall short on its duties, but what’s more important is the political security in Lebanon.”
In turn, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour called upon all the hospitals in the region to receive all injured in the blasts and provide them with the necessary treatments at the expense of the Health Ministry.
The Lebanese Armed Forces statement:
The Lebanese Armed Forces Command issued a statement whereby it detailed to course of the attack, where it said that “at 04:20 am on Monday, two of the bombers arrived on motorcycles to Mar Elias Church in the town of Al-Qaa. The first attacker threw a grenade outside the church before detonating his suicide belt. The second attacker arrived shortly afterwards as a crowd gathered outside the church before blowing himself up. The other suicide bombers attempted to target soldiers, but detonated their belts without causing any casualties other than themselves.”
Reactions:
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea said the village of al-Qaa and the Lebanese Armed Forces were the target behind the attack.
Geagea called on the residents to abide by the instructions of the army.
Marada Movement head MP Sleiman Frangieh said in a tweet: “It’s a tragic day for al-Qaa residents. We should all confront terror, which targets everyone.”
For his part, Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel told LBCI that “we can save our country and the future of our youths solely through putting a high priority on Lebanon’s interest.”
Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Zeaiter, in a statement to LBCI, called for supporting the army and strengthening its capacities.
Via Twitter, MP Ibrahim Kanaan urged the Cabinet to take extraordinary measures to protect the security of al-Qaa.
Lebanese security services have been on heightened alert for militant attacks in recent weeks. Islamic State had urged its followers to launch attacks on "non-believers" during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which began in early June.
Lebanon has been repeatedly jolted by militant attacks linked to the war in neighboring Syria, where the powerful Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah is fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned of a threat posed by militants based in the border area between Syria and Lebanon, saying they were still preparing car bombs in the area.
LBCI/REUTERS
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