Hollande Expresses 'Horror' over 'Despicable' Dahieh Blasts
French President Francois Hollande on Thursday condemned as "despicable" the twin bomb attack that killed 43 people and injured 239 others in the Beirut southern suburb of Bourj al-Barajneh.
"The president of the republic expresses his indignation and horror after the attack that killed several dozen people this afternoon in the Bourj al-Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut," he said in a statement issued by the presidency.
"The French share in the national mourning of the Lebanese. France is more than ever committed to peace, unity and stability in Lebanon," Hollande said.
The twin attack was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew up their explosive vests. The army said the dead body of a third attacker who failed to blow himself up was found on the scene of the second blast.
The blast, which was claimed by the extremist Islamic State group, is the first to target Beirut's southern suburbs since June 2014.
But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hizbullah strongholds throughout the country.
Between July 2013 and February 2014, there were nine attacks on Hizbullah bastions, most claimed by jihadist extremists.
The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah's decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad's forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.
Y.R.
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