Qassem: Those Serving Israeli Goals behind Bir al-Abed Attack
Hizbullah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated on Friday that the party was expecting to be the target of an attack like the one that took place in the Bir al-Abed neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahieh on Tuesday.
He said on the seventh anniversary of the eruption of the July 2006 war: “The Dahieh blast is part of a plan to target the resistance and those backing Israel's agendas were behind it.”
“We are being targeted and Dahieh is an open area that can easily be reached by anyone,” he added.
“We are awaiting the results of the investigation to find out who planted the explosive,” remarked Qassem.
The first leads indicate that forces seeking strife and serving Israeli goals are behind the blast, he said.
He therefore stressed the need to prevent any instability, while questioning the Arab silence over the incident.
Moreover, he linked the Bir al-Abed blast to the one that took place in the Shiyyah neighborhood in May, saying: “Some sides want to create strife in order to spark confusion within the resistance.”
“Hizbullah won't be dragged into strife and it will do all it can to prevent it,” emphasized Qassem.
At least 50 people were wounded in the car bomb attack in Bir al-Abed on Tuesday.
In May, four people were wounded in a rocket attack on the Shiyyah neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs.
Addressing ties between Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun in light of claims of a rift between them, Qassem said: “I would like to assure all sides that our relationship with the MP is still strong.”
“It is natural for us to have differences over internal issues, but they will not affect the 2006 Memorandum of Understanding we have with the Free Patriotic Movement,” he declared.
Some sides made “impulsive” comments about the ties, but they have since been withdrawn, he added.
“Hizbullah does not need advice on how to deal with the components of the Lebanese society,” he stated.
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