BEIRUT: Five people were killed and 75 others were wounded Thursday when a car bomb ripped through a neighborhood of the Beirut southern suburbs where Hezbollah enjoys broad support, security sources told The Daily Star. The car bombing in Haret Hreik, a densely populated neighborhood of the southern suburb, is the latest security incident to hit increasingly volatile Lebanon. The attacks are linked to the ongoing crisis in Syria, particularly HezbollahÂ’s military support there to President Bashar Assad.
The 4.15 p.m. blast caused plumes of black smoke to blanket the Beirut skyline as ambulances and paramedics rushed to the neighborhood. Parked vehicles and buildings in the commercial, residential area were severely damaged in the blast.
Hundreds of residents flocked to the area to help pull out the dead and wounded from the rubble. However, minutes after the explosion gunshots were fired in the air to disperse the crowds.
The Lebanese Army also urged citizens to evacuate the area in the event of another explosion.
Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah said the blast occurred meters away from the party's political council, saying "the target of the attack was Lebanon, its security, stability and national unity."
| In his mind Hezbollah and Lebanon are one and the same... |
Forensic experts and investigators suspect the explosives-rigged vehicle was a Grand Cherokee, security sources said, adding that the vehicle was parked on Al-Areed Street at the time of detonation.
| A full sized SUV for a full sized kaboom. Wonder if it had leather and the optional nav system... |
The bulk of attacks linked to the crisis next door have targeted areas loyal to Hezbollah, Syria and IranÂ’s primary ally in Lebanon. On Nov. 19, two suicide bombers targeted IranÂ’s Embassy in Beirut, killing over a dozen people including an Iranian diplomat. The attack was claimed by the Abdallah Azzam Brigades, an Al-Qaeda offshoot headed by Saudi national Majid al-Majid. The group warned of further attacks until Hezbollah withdrew its fighters from Syria.