Berri Mulling 'Urgent' Visit to Tehran, Fears Recurrence of Suicide Attacks
Speaker Nabih Berri is considering an “urgent” visit to Iranian capital Tehran in an attempt to bridge the gap between Lebanese foes, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper quoted a lawmaker as saying that the speaker is convinced that the political crisis in Lebanon requires a “radical treatment,” in particular, after the twin suicide attack that targeted the Iranian embassy in Hizbullah's stronghold of Bir Hassan.
The MP said that Berri's visit is on a previous open invitation by the Iranian authorities.
For his part, Berri considered in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper that the attack against the Iranian embassy “made Lebanon enter a new level.”
He expressed fear that the these kind of attacks would “recur,” stressing that the Lebanese are “aware of the imminent risks” the country is facing.
At least 23 people were killed and 150 wounded in twin suicide blasts that targeted the Iranian Embassy in the Hizbullah stronghold of Bir Hassan on Tuesday.
The powerful explosions just opposite the multi-storey embassy caused chaos, ripping the facades off nearby buildings and setting cars ablaze.
They come after two other bomb attacks this year in the southern suburbs of Beirut that are the bastion of Hizbullah.
The group, which is sponsored by Iran, has drawn controversy for sending thousands of fighters to support the regime of Syria's President Bashar Assad as he battles a 32-month-old uprising.
Berri reiterated calls on the political foes to resume the national dialogue to avert the crises.
He also revealed that those who targeted the Iranian embassy are “the ones that threatened to assassinate him, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Army Commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji.”
Media reports said in July 2012, that al-Qaida network has offered a $300,000 reward for the assassination of Berri and Qahwaji.
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