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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.

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Israel Troops Wounded Tackling Ordnance Near Lebanon Border

Two Israeli soldiers were wounded on Tuesday while attempting to carry out a controlled explosion of unexploded ordnance near the Lebanese border, an army spokeswoman said.

"Two Israeli soldiers were wounded while blowing up explosives during a routine operation near the Lebanese border," the spokeswoman said, without elaborating.

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U.S. Condemns 'Senseless and Despicable' Bombings in Bir Hassan

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday condemned what he called the "senseless and despicable" bomb attacks against Iran's embassy in Beirut, urging all parties to back the probe.

"The United States knows too well the cost of terrorism directed at our own diplomats around the world, and our hearts go out to the Iranian people after this violent and unjustifiable attack," Kerry said in a statement.

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

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.

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Iranian FM: Beirut Bomb Attacks are 'Alarm for All of Us'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said deadly bomb attacks against Iran's embassy in Beirut on Tuesday should be "an alarm for all of us".

"The tragedy today... should be an alarm for all of us that we need to deal with and unless we deal with it seriously, it will engulf all of us," Zarif said after talks with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino in Rome.

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Raad Blames 'Western-Israeli Alliance' for Beirut Blasts

Head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad blamed a "Western-Israeli alliance" and regional powers that back radical Sunni Islamist "takfiri" groups for Tuesday's deadly suicide bombings near the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

The mid-morning blasts ripped through a stronghold of Hizbullah, where the Iranian embassy is located, killing 23 people and wounding 146.

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Al-Mustaqbal Demands Referring Bir Hassan Bombs to Justice Council, Urges Distancing Lebanon from Regional Conflicts

Al-Mustaqbal bloc demanded on Tuesday referring the bombings in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan to the Justice Council and identifying and trying the assailants behind it.

"We condemn and reject this horrifying crime,” the bloc said in a released statement after the MPs' weekly meeting at the Center House, slamming those behind it as “terrorists.”

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Syrian Warplane Fires Rocket on Arsal

A Syrian warplane fired a rocket on Tuesday on the border town of Arsal in the eastern mountain belt without causing any injuries.

"Syrian warplanes shelled the uninhabited Aqabat al- Mobayyideh region in Arsal,” MTV said.

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Ban Condemns Bir Hassan Blasts: Such Acts of Violence Target All Sides in Lebanon

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned on Tuesday the terrorist bombing near the Iranian embassy in Beirut's Bir Hassan neighborhood.

He called on “all in Lebanon to recognize that such appalling and indiscriminate acts of violence target all in Lebanon.”

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Aoun Slams Government Inaction over Bir Hassan Blasts

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun condemned on Tuesday the blasts that targeted the Bir Hassan blasts earlier on Tuesday, questioning the government's failure to convene to tackle this issue.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “President Michel Suleiman and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati must call cabinet to session in order to address the latest developments.”

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