U.N. Security Council Condemns Bir Hassan Blast, EU 'Appalled' by Attack

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The U.N. Security Council condemned suicide bombs at the Iranian embassy in Beirut's southern suburbs and called on Lebanese to stay out of the Syria conflict.

The double attack killed at least 23 people and wounded almost 150 and heightened fears that Lebanon will be sucked into Syria's civil war.

The 15-member Security Council released a statement that "strongly condemned" the attack.

The council "appealed to all Lebanese people to preserve national unity in the face of attempts to undermine the country's stability."

It "stressed the importance for all Lebanese parties to respect Lebanon's policy of disassociation and to refrain from any involvement in the Syrian crisis."

U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman on Tuesday highlighted to the U.N. Security Council reports that Hizbullah was fighting with President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria "in clear violation" of a statement by local parties to stay out of the war, referring to the Baabda Declaration.

Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "appalled" by the double suicide blast.

Ashton "is appalled by the bombing" and "condemns this terrorist attack in the strongest terms," a statement from her office said.

The mid-morning attack has been claimed by an al-Qaida-linked jihadist group.

Ashton "reaffirms that the use of violence against civilians cannot be accepted" and "she calls for a swift investigation into the events to bring the perpetrators to justice".

She also reiterated the European Union's "continued support to Lebanon and commitment to Lebanon's unity, independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."

Russia also strongly condemned Tuesday's bombing as a "terrorist act."

Moscow deplored the "bloody attack" targeting a "diplomatic mission" and called for punishing those responsible for fomenting violence in the volatile region, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The incident again underscores the need to stop those who via a series of bloody attacks in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East and north Africa, seek to rekindle hatred between faiths, which is disastrous for the region and its people," the statement said.

The army said a motorcyclist blew himself up moments before a suicide bomber driving a four-wheel-drive detonated his payload in the southern Beirut stronghold of Hizbullah.

Comments 2
Thumb mr.black. 20 November 2013, 07:23

It seems like the Saud family is using all the resources they can.
They must really be upset with Mr. Nasrallah.
Pray for Lebanon.

Thumb ishteraki 20 November 2013, 07:51

now its the great angel :) its all depends on how iran see's it .... and wait tommorow we will start hearing LONG LIVE AMERICA ;)