Blast tears through central Beirut
Lebanese media report at least eight people killed, dozens injured in car bomb explosion in Ashafriyeh district, about 200 meters from headquarters of party oppsing Hezbollah, Assad regime
At least eight people were killed and 96 others were wounded in an explosion in central Beirut on Friday. The blast was reportedly the result of a car bomb that was detonated in the Ashafriyeh district, a mostly Christian area.
The force of the explosion sheared the balconies of off residential buildings, sending bloodied victims pouring out into the streets in the most serious blast this city has seen in years.
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Investigators told AFP that some 30 kilograms of explosives were planted in the car bomb.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government and the security and legal organizations were investigating the circumstances of the attack and would persecute the culprits, punish them and prevent any attempt to return terror attacks to Lebanon.
Lebanese media reported that Mikati and President Michel Suleiman were monitoring the investigation and the steps taken to assist the injured.
The attack took place about 200 meters from the local Lebanese Phalanges Party headquarters. The party is known to oppose Hezbollah and the Assad regime.
Phalange leader Sami al-Gemayel, a staunch opponent of Syrian President Bashar Assad and member of parliament, condemned the attack.
"Let the state protect the citizens. We will not accept any procrastination in this matter, we cannot continue like that. We have been warning for a year. Enough," said Gemayel, whose brother was assassinated in November 2006.
Injured evacuated (Photo: Reuters)
It was not immediately clear if the explosion targeted any political figure in Lebanon's divided community but it occurred at a time of heightened tension between Lebanese factions on opposite sides of the Syria conflict.
Ambulances rushed to the scene as smoke rose from the area. Security forces blanketed the area as well.
An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw victims with what appeared to be grave injuries. One young girl was bleeding profusely from her head; other wounded were being loaded into ambulances.
"I was standing nearby in Sassine Square and I heard a big explosion and I ran straight to it," resident Elie Khalil told The Associated Press. He said he saw at least 15 bloodied people in a nearby parking lot before medics arrived and took them to a hospital.
Scene of explosion (Photo: Reuters)
Several cars were set on fire by the explosion and the front of a multi-storey building was badly damaged.
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoabi condemned what he referred to as "the cowardly acts of terror in the Ashafriyeh neighborhood" in Beirut, adding that "these terrorist attacks, no matter where they take place, must be condemned and are unjustified."
The war in neighboring Syria has pitted mostly Sunni insurgents against President Bashar Assad, who is from the Awalite sect linked to Shiite Islam.
The last bombing in Beirut was in 2008 when three people were killed in an explosion which damaged a US diplomatic car.
However fighting had broken out this year between supporters and opponents of Assad in the northern city of Tripoli.
Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP contributed to this report
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