Death Toll in Dahieh Blast Reaches 24 as Charbel Urges against Jumping ahead of Investigations
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The death toll in the blast that rocked Beirut's southern suburb of Dahieh on Thursday rose to 24, announced the Red Cross on Friday according to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3).
It had state earlier that 248 people were wounded in the blast.
Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil had stated later on Friday that the death toll had reached 21.
The Army Command meanwhile called in a statement on the relatives of the victims to undergo DNA tests in order to help identify the casualties.
MTV later reported that the suicide bomber was riding in a black BMW at the time he detonated the explosive.
LBCI television added that 55 to 60 kilograms of TNT were used in the bomb attack.
Meanwhile, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told VDL that video camera footage is being studied to find attacker and determine whether it was a suicide bomber that carried out Dahieh attack.
“We cannot jump ahead of the investigations,” he said.
“We must be given some time to find the leads,” he urged.
A car bomb attack took place in Hizbullah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, state-run National News Agency reported.
The blast went off on the public road between Bir al-Abed and Ruwais.
Later on Thursday, a group calling itself the Brigades of Aisha Umm al-Moemeneen claimed the bombing in a YouTube video and threatened further attacks over Hizbullah's involvement in the fighting in Syria.
On July 9, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Bir al-Abed, leaving 53 people wounded and causing extensive material damage.
In May, two rockets slammed into the Beirut southern suburb of Shiyyah, wounding four people.
16 August 2013, 10:02
36
Whose "Modus Operandi" does this resemble? Israel? Yeh right. I have a far fetched explanation. OK, this is a twisted ploy by Iran and H.A. to self inflict injury, blame Israel and hope to give the resistance legitimacy and keep it alive. You think no one saw this coming? H.A. does not care about Lebanon's well being nor does Iran. H.A. has Lebanon on a choke hold and doing business as usual with impunity and no other party dares to raise an eye brow. H.S. is on a short lease whose only job is to further Iran's interest in the region, and a peaceful Lebanon means Lebanon with little or no H.A. presence.
16 August 2013, 10:17
47
Israel, Syria, Sunni, Shia - discussing dirty politics instead of mourning? The victims are all Lebanese and many so young that they don't know anything about the stupid conflict lines we created to prevent us from living happy and in peace.
16 August 2013, 10:19
28
Anyone doubts thats partirion is the answer?
Partirion please.
16 August 2013, 10:42
26
Dear phoenician,
Dude I rarely post on naharnet... this might be my 2nd or 3rd post ever. I've noticed you championing the 'Partition please' campaign for some time now. While I've been against the concept for as long as I can remember, I'm starting to think you're right. Partitioning might actually be a good idea and the answer to many of our unanswerable problems. The topic at least deserves some thought and research at this point.
16 August 2013, 11:13
15
Phoenician is correct. Since the rise of H.A. with Iran's fangs deep inside the heart of Lebanon, no one can claim that Lebanon is united. Lebanon has already been "concurred and divided". We now need to put an official seal on it until the other side learn from their mistakes and come to their senses. If your body has been infected with a deadly cancer, how long can you leave it inside you before it kills you. It must be surgically removed.
16 August 2013, 11:21
62
plus our country is already tiny, and therefore the minimum cost of administering it is already relatively high compared to our economic size, what would it be if you had to multiply it several fold? also, on what basis would some communities be allowed their own state and other not? (or you think we could have one state for each of the 17 sects?)
and what difference would it make, when dahiyeh is attacked, if you're sitting in another part of the country and it's technically labelled a different state or not? in both cases the consequences are the same for those outside dahiyeh, either you're a bloodthirsty animal and celebrate it, or you're a human being and you feel compassion, or you lack human empathy and you're indifferent.
in the end this unrealistic idea is just an expression of racism and intolerance, whereas the only good thing we can still hang on to as national pride is our coexistence, which was never easy of course, but is a reality.
16 August 2013, 11:22
62
there has already been a lot of research and debate around it but it's unrealistic and creates more problems without solving any of the existing. for example, on what basis would you draw the lines? sectarian? the communities are all more or less dispersed and mixed. how would you make a sunni 'state' that ensures continuity between said, west beirut, tripoli and west bekaa without cutting through other communities? what would you do with people who happen to be stuck outside their 'community' ? the christians are the most dispersed community, what would you do with them? can you even begin to imagine the wars that could emerge just on basis of the line drawing?
16 August 2013, 11:36
14
Look, if you are mortally wounded and bleeding to death, you may say lets see how long, if at all, you can last. Or you may take the most difficult decision and remove the infected part. We are living in desperate times.
16 August 2013, 13:49
33
Vincent how about we agree to partition Israel first, creat a Palestinian state, let the Palestinians go creat a home, and lets see if it helps solve a few problems in Lebanon.
16 August 2013, 14:19
51
if the "infected part" was your brain, i'd agree to amputate the head.
16 August 2013, 20:46
11
beirutbastard00, I agree with you re. sending the Palestinian to their homes. The question is "who" is going to send them home and/or what Lebanon can and must do for her own well being. As far as sending them home, like I've said in the past, Lebanon does not have what it takes, militarily, financially, or otherwise, to bring Israel on her knees and force the return of the Palestinians or influence/broker a deal with the international community to force Israel's hands. What Lebanon need to do is to "demand the ouster of the Palestinian refugees from its boarders". It was never Lebanon's problem, and it should not be today. There are oil rich Arab countries that can feed, school and support these people, give them weapons, buy their lands, etc.
16 August 2013, 20:48
01
Where they go, who takes care of them, how they get back to their lands is none of Lebanon's concern because Lebanon is not a military super power nor has such strategic influence in the region that everybody will bend backwards to please Lebanon, specially, looking back the past 40 some years. Lebanon can not afford to keep on doing this. You may certainly pray for them help them financially as we can afford.
16 August 2013, 21:04
11
mowaten, Lets not get personal and insult each other. The intended insult was outweighed by its pathetic attempt. If I had a brain tumor, I would certainly remove the infected portion to better my health and well being. The question is where do I get this procedure done? For sure, not Iran. Now in your case, looks like you've decided to keep it.
16 August 2013, 11:10
93
the problem with the citywide camera network idea that was proposed (and criticized widely, not just by HA) was that they all went through a satellite link (i think it was a US satellite which was proposed) giving israel and US a front-seat view on every single street of our city. Do you seriously think this is acceptable?
16 August 2013, 11:54
18
No mowaten that is the stupidest thing I've heard in my life that's like saying we decided not to kill a fly because we have to use nukes?!!! Using satellite to run CCTV is only used for remote locations like on top of a mountain, in the middle of the ocean. Using satellite to transmit the data is very costly and is limited so running an entire city CCTV on it is virtually impossible. The plan was to use our phone circuits for CCTV.
16 August 2013, 12:02
25
Than hizbiran claimed that Israel can hack into this system and take advantage of it (what is called man-in-the-middle attack) but if that's the concern what makes them think it's not possible for Israel to hack into dahiyeh system?
Simple ways to deal with this is creating encryption algorithms that is extremely difficult to decrypt that it would be a waste of time, but than again despite the fact that scientists of the field give their professional opinion about the matter they are undermined and disregarded by idiotic politicians with a hidden agenda. Keep following your politicians words blindly life is certainly much easier when you pass on your thinking to your politicians like a herd of sheep being walked to the slaughterhouse... Even sheep feel something wrong but it seems you don't have their level of intelligence.
So for the sake of the rest of humanity STFU.
16 August 2013, 12:53
71
so we agree, that was an incredibly stupid idea, and that is why it was criticized.
16 August 2013, 12:56
81
formerlebaniz, i appreciate your concern for the "rest of humanity", but i'm sure decent people can accept me having an opinion and expressing it.
16 August 2013, 13:17
24
that was an excuse so that hizb iran's criminal wing can go around unhindered. cameras should be installed not only to solve crimes, but also to prevent them. the good that comes from them greatly outnumbers the bad that hizb iran perceives.
16 August 2013, 13:19
27
No we didn't agree you genius! They proposed that the CCTV is connected to our phone lines not satellites! Wow ....
Let's say in an alternate universe where our politicians are even dumber than they are now and they suggested satellite for CCTV shouldn't hizbiran have suggested for the sake of the country doing it the right way instead of axing and forbidding it entirely except in its area,
16 August 2013, 13:24
27
There is a difference between having an opinion and dumping false claims. Learn the difference and when you are able to make an educated corroborated statement with FACTS supporting it please by all means do till than have an opinion EXPRESS it that's good but don't back it with false statements.
16 August 2013, 13:42
25
Honestly, forget Israel, I don't trust the Lebanese government to have access to these cameras!
But I do agree HA is against them for dif reasons. Before cameras we need a real state. A real army. The rule of law over all. State control over the ports.... None of this will happen as long as one part is stronger than the whole.
16 August 2013, 16:29
41
facts are facts fellas, your verbal diarrhea here wont change anything about it. a satellite link is what the sanioura traitor had proposed and was opposed by HA (as well as others). your reactions here only confirm how stupid his idea was (or clearly an attempt to serve his israeli masters more than tea and coffee).
16 August 2013, 21:30
01
Mowaten: Infidel Nasrallah said you are a moron and there is nothing you can say to change that. Facts are facts and your verbal diarrhea is only enforcing that.
16 August 2013, 11:12
93
because they can deny it, with an F16 they would have been condemned internationally for this indiscriminate killing of civilians. plus (if it's them, which cannot be affirmed yet) they would have given a push towards shia/sunni strife.
16 August 2013, 11:35
06
At the end, once again civilians die, more people get revolted, tourists vanish, another summer goes into disgrace, the economy slumps, more young lebanese flees from Lebanon and the country as a whole retreats. The never ending story....
16 August 2013, 17:04
13
Guys to me its simple maths,
I am Christian and and Jerusalem, Bethlehm among many Isralie towns are sacred to me yet I cant visit them coz if I do I wont be allowed back into my own country because of who? Where is the logic in that.
Partition please.
17 August 2013, 17:29
00
The moment the Government of Lebanon agrees to sit down and signs a peace treaty with Israel, you and all your Christian bretheren in Lebabob will be able to visit Jerusalem, Nazareth and all the other Christian sites in Israel. Of course, the Moslem population will also be able to visit their holy sites as well.
So as you say, where is the logic? It is missing in the whole Middle East equation.
