U.N. Chief, Security Council Denounce Dahiyeh Attack, Call for Unity

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council denounced the Haret Hreik bombing, which targeted a Hizbullah stronghold, calling on the rival Lebanese parties to preserve unity and state institutions.

“The recurrent acts of terrorism and violence in Lebanon are totally unacceptable,” Ban's spokesperson quoted him as saying.

He called on all parties to “come together in support of their state institutions... And to strive for national unity as the best safeguard of the country's security and stability in the face of terrorism.”

A suicide bomber killed four people and injured at least 35 in Beirut's southern suburbs neighborhood of Haret Hreik.

Al-Nusra Front in Lebanon, in a statement on Twitter, claimed the attack.

The blast took place on busy al-Arid Street that was targeted by a suicide car bombing earlier this month.

The U.N. Security Council also issued a statement to extend condolences to the families and victims of the explosion, describing the bombing as a “heinous act.”

The Security Council stressed that “ constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”

The statement called on bringing the perpetrators for justice.

The Council also appealed to the Lebanese to “preserve unity,” urging “all Lebanese parties to respect the disassociation policy and to refrain from any involvement in the Syrian crisis, consistent with their commitment in the Baabda Declaration.”

The Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria.

The blast is the sixth to target areas considered Hizbullah strongholds since the group announced on April 30 that it was sending fighters to support President Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.

Lebanon has suffered a spike in violence since the war in Syria broke out, with the frequency of attacks rising in recent weeks.