Lebanese Officials Condemn Dahiyeh Attack, Vow to Confront Terrorism
Lebanese officials strongly denounced on Wednesday the double suicide attack that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs, which killed at least four people and injured 100 others and was claimed by al-Qaida affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades.
President Michel Suleiman condemned the attack, saying: “There can be no salvation from terrorism except through complete solidarity among the people regardless of their political affiliations.”
“Terrorism does not differentiate between regions and religions, but it only seeks death and destruction,” he added.
Earlier the president had contacted Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Rokn-Abadi to offer his condolences over the bombing that took place near the Iranian Cultural Center.
He also contacted Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnouq and Kuwaiti Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul Aal al-Qinai.
Speaker Nabih Berri meanwhile urged the “greatest level of vigilance and caution” in confronting the series of bombings that have targeted Lebanon.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam slammed the twin bomb blasts, considering them a “message by the terrorist groups to continue its plot in spreading absurd deaths in Lebanon.”
“Amid the positive political stances... Terrorism once again hit Lebanon by bombing a safe neighborhood in a message that reflects the insistence of the evil powers to harm Lebanon and the Lebanese and to create sedition.”
He noted that the Lebanese will “respond to it with more unity, solidarity, by holding on to our civil peace and supporting our army and security forces.”
Bir Hassan is surrounded by neighborhood that are strongholds of the Hizbullah and have been targeted in multiple bomb attacks killing civilians.
Lebanon has been rocked by a string of car and suicide bomb attacks in recent months, many targeting strongholds of Hizbullah in apparent retribution for its role in Syria.
The group has admitted sending fighters to the neighboring country to battle alongside Syria's President Bashar Assad against an uprising.
For his part, Hizbullah's Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan called on the Lebanese to tighten their grip on national stances and to confront terrorism.
Interior Minister Mashnouq said from the blast scene that the explosion targets all the Lebanese people and the government will take the necessary measures to tackle the situation.
“The cabinet will take all the necessary measure to end the phenomena of suicide attacks,” Mashnouq added.
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil stressed that “terrorism is targeting all the Lebanese. We must put an end to it.”
Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi said that the suicide bombings that targeted the area aims at destabilizing Lebanon, stressing that security should be a priority.
He called on the Lebanese people to be aware of the dangerous stage the country is passing through and to unite in order to confront terrorism.
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun said via twitter that “terrorists were bothered by the formation of the cabinet after they became convinced that it would fight them.”
Al-Mustaqbal Movement Chief Saad Hariri said that “if the aim behind the attack is to inform the Lebanese that their country isn't immune to terrorism despite the formation of the cabinet then we will hold on to our unity today more than ever.”
“We condemn the attacks with the strongest rhetoric,” Hariri said in a statement, calling on security forces to pursue the culprits.
He urged the Lebanese for more solidarity and to allow the cabinet to carry out its responsibilities during this delicate situation.
Hariri reiterated calls on the Lebanese to dissociate itself from the conflict in Syria and on Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from the ongoing war in the neighboring country and to abide by the Baabda Declaration.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later condemned in a statement the Bir Hassan bombing, calling for Hizbullah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
“We had previously predicted that the situation in Lebanon will not change with the formation of a new government,” he added.
“The situation will change when the policies of previous governments are altered,” he explained.
He demanded that the border between Lebanon and Syria be controlled in order to thwart the flow gunmen, offering his condolences to the victims of the blast.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani also denounced the attack, calling on Salam's cabinet to “swiftly control the situation in Lebanon and reduce tension and all forms of incitement to confront the upcoming stage as a one hand.
Head of the Phalange Party Amin Gemayel said: “The Bir Hassan bombing is a bloody message aimed at terrorizing the new cabinet that is an embodiment of national will.”
“The best way to respond to the bombings lies in activating government work and seizing control of the security situation,” he added.
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