Syrian Interior Minister Admitted to Beirut Hospital
Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shaar was admitted on Wednesday to hospital in Beirut, reported al-Jadeed television.
A Lebanese minister told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity that al-Shaar arrived at 7:30 pm (1630 GMT) at Beirut airport, and he was taken to the American University Hospital.
"His condition is stable and he was able to talk to the people who received him at the airport. I don't know how long he will stay here," the minister said.
Future television reported that he was in need of large amounts of blood.
Security sources told OTV that the Syrian minister "is undergoing a critical surgery and he's suffering severe burns."
A security source told AFP on December 13 that the minister was wounded in a deadly bomb attack targeting his ministry on December 12 but his condition is not serious.
"He was wounded in the shoulder when the ceiling fell in his office," the source revealed, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"He was taken to hospital but his condition gives no cause for concern and he should be discharged rapidly,” it added.
The triple bombing killed five people and wounded 23, the state SANA news agency reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nine people were killed.
It is the second time that the interior minister has been wounded in an attack.
Shaar narrowly escaped being killed in a spectacular July 18 bombing that claimed the lives of four other top security officials, including the defense minister and the brother-in-law of President Bashar Assad.
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