A Grad rocket fell on Sunday morning at a car exhibit near St. Michael Church in Chiyah, injuring four Syrian nationals, while another rocket fell at a building's balcony in Maroun Misk Street, where the damages were only material.
The Lebanese Armed Forces rushed to scene and set up a
security cordon.
This as three rocket launchers were later found in the hills located between Bsaba and Aitat in
Mount Lebanon, one of which had failed to launch, a security source said.
The region was immediately cordoned off by the LAF, preventing citizens from approaching.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel also rushed to the
scene and examined the car dealership in Chiyah where the first rocket fell.
In this context, Charbel declared that the rockets were fired
from an isolated area in the south eastern side, noting that the incident aims
at creating chaos in the country.
On the other hand, security sources said that the rockets
were fired from the mountainous region of Baabda.
Meanwhile, a security source told Agence France Presse that
the source of the rockets remains unclear, suggesting that they are likely to have been fired
from the south eastern side of the region.
Later, the State Commissioner
to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the military police to investigate
the Chiyah blasts.
Position:
President Michel Sleiman condemned the incident which struck the Beirut Southern Suburbs, adding that those who committed this crime “are terrorists and saboteurs who do not want peace and stability in Lebanon.” He called on citizens to sustain a maximum degree of vigilance, awareness and civic assistance.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed that this incident aims at creating security chaos and
comes as an attempt to provoke specific reactions, calling on “all parties to
deal with this delicate case wisely in order to prevent those who seek strife
from reaching their goals.”
Former PM Saad Hariri stressed that the said incident is “a criminal
and terrorist act which must be denounced no matter who implemented it or panned
it, especially since it has hit a populated area,” calling on everyone to be
aware of the gravity of participating in foreign conflicts aiming at “using the
Lebanese people as fuel to the fire.”
For his part, member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP
Ali Ammar said that only the judicial and security authorities are allowed to
determine the party responsible for rocket launching, stressing that any attempt to create strife in the country will be obstructed.
Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said that the
grad rockets incident is an “act of vandalism, which aims at striking security
and stability everywhere.”
In turn, member of the Change
and Reform bloc MP Naji Gharios said that the message sent through these
rockets is that security and stability are controlled by "irresponsible parties",
calling on everyone to await the results of the investigations.
For his part, Kataeb party leader Amine Gemayel said that the rocket attack on Dahiyeh is "the normal consequence of Hezbollah's intervention in Syria."
Mufti of the Republic Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani said that firing grad rockets at Chiyah aims at creating strife between the Lebanese
people, expressing surprise toward the fact that the rockets were fired from one
Lebanese region to another. He added that the incident has dangerous signs and
will have many repercussions on Lebanon.
For his part, the head of the Marada Movement MP Sleiman Frangieh described the incident as “a
criminal act which will fail to achieve its goals,” noting that it only aims at
affecting the country’s stability.
This as, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned Chiyah's incident, saying that Hezbollah's involvement in Syria is behind the incident.
In turn, Prime Minister-Designate Tammam Salam condemned the incident, describing it as "a suspicious act aiming at fomenting sectarian strife in Lebanon."
International positions:
Commenting on the incident, the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius
declared that Paris strongly condemns violence in Lebanon, calling on the
Lebanese people to prevent the Syrian war from turning into a war in Lebanon.
For its part,
Kuwait urged its citizens to avoid Lebanon, asking those already there to exit the country "as soon as possible".
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