Maronite Patriarch Rai condemns Beir al-Abed explosion

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai condemned on Thursday the explosion that took place in the Beir al-Abed region and all forms of violence throughout Lebanon.

He called for further "national awareness" to spare Lebanon attempts to foment strife and to address various dangers.

Patriarch Rai dispatched Bishops Samir Mazloum to carry out contacts with the concerned authorities in order to show his support to the injured persons and people affected by the explosion.

Hezbollah supporters remained defiant on Wednesday, the day after a powerful car bomb exploded in a stronghold of the Shiite group in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

At least 53 people were wounded in Tuesday's blast which, for some, was a worrying sign that Syria's civil war is beginning to consume its smaller neighbor.

The car bomb struck a bustling commercial and residential neighborhood in Beir el-Abed, an area of particularly strong Hezbollah support, as many Lebanese Shiites began observing the holy month of Ramadan.

The blast went off in a parking lot near the Islamic Coop, a supermarket usually packed with shoppers.


LBCI/AP