 A booby-trapped car exploded near a hotel south of the capital, seriously injuring a woman in an apparent domestic dispute, security officials said Friday. A hand grenade placed between the door and the driver's seat detonated when the woman opened the door of the car, which was parked near the Lebanon Beach Hotel in the suburb of Khaldeh, south of Beirut, one official said. The 32-year-old woman was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition by early evening. | Is she really stable or just middle-east stable? |
Officials said the motive was likely a domestic dispute. TV video from the site of the explosion showed the driver's seat mangled and torn off, and the door and windshield riddled with shrapnel. A white handbag and what appeared to be a beach bag were seen inside the car. | Bummer of a way to start the weekend |
It was the latest in a series of bombings in Lebanon in recent weeks. On June 21, former Communist Party leader George Hawi was killed when a bomb exploded under his seat as he was being driven through west Beirut. On June 2, anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was killed by a similar bomb planted under his car. The opposition blamed Syria and its allies in Lebanon for both explosions.
Update: Local television stations identified the woman as Abir Harb. Some unconfirmed reports say she is a journalist |