Suspect in Syria bombing dead in Hezbollah raid in Lebanon
A man suspected of involvement in an attack last month on a Shiite shrine in Syria died following a Hezbollah pursuit late Friday in the Beirut southern suburb of Hay al-Sellom, the party said.
Wissam Dalla, a Syrian in his early twenties, "threw himself from the seventh floor" of a building where he had been staying with relatives "after learning his location had been discovered," Hezbollah said in a statement.
Dalla was "responsible for the explosion in the Sayyida Zeinab area" south of the Syrian capital last month, Hezbollah added.
Lebanese security forces played no role in the incident, a security source told AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Lebanon's authorities did not immediately issue any statements.
On July 27, six people were killed and at least 20 others wounded when a bomb exploded south of Damascus near the Sayyida Zeinab mausoleum, Syria's most visited Shiite pilgrimage site, authorities said.
The Sunni Muslim extremist Islamic State group later claimed the blast, which came ahead of the annual commemoration of Ashura, a key event on the Shiite calendar.
Friday's incident took place in Hay al-Sellom, an impoverished neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs -- a Hezbollah stronghold.
The group had pursued Dalla amid fears he could carry out another attack, the statement added, saying he was taken to hospital but died.
"Relevant bodies" in Hezbollah were informed that he had entered Lebanon secretly, the statement said.
Hezbollah has been fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war that erupted in 2011.
Beirut's southern suburbs saw a wave of bombings between 2013 and 2015 carried out by Sunni extremists in retaliation for the Shiite group's intervention in the Syria conflict.
19 August 2023, 15:10
02
I am deeply unsettled by the fact that Hezbollah is essentially supplanting the State's security infrastructure, whether it pertains to the LAF or the various police forces. What exacerbates my concern further is the utter lack of any reaction from our government concerning this issue.
Dalla was "responsible for the explosion in the Sayyida Zeinab area" south of the Syrian capital last month, Hezbollah added.
Essentially, Dalla, who had evaded trial in any legitimate jurisdiction, found himself subjected to judgment and an ensuing death sentence by Hezbollah.
19 August 2023, 19:55
11
He was Syrian and he did a crime inside Syria, he threw himself off the building instead of facing Justice. He took the cowards way out knowing fully well what he did.
19 August 2023, 21:34
02
The denial of due process and a fair trial, even if he's Syrian, along with extrajudicial actions, erode the fundamental human rights of the individual involved. Regardless of the alleged crime, every individual has the right to be treated with dignity and to have their rights protected under the law.
Moreover, when Hezbollah take the law into their own hands, it weakens the rule of law and the authority of legitimate legal institutions. The situation described sets a dangerous precedent where armed groups can arbitrarily decide who is guilty and impose their own version of justice, without accountability or oversight. Is this what you wish for Lebanon?
19 August 2023, 22:40
01
Just like the Fatah members in Gaza threw themselves off buildings ...
... and pigeons inside shopping malls suddenly die of heart attacks upon seeing buckshot flying at them ...
20 August 2023, 19:08
00
Tell that for Nancy Ajrams husband, he shot that Syrian housekeeper 15 times.
20 August 2023, 22:09
00
In the case of Nancy Ajram's husband, he shot a home invader within his own house; there was no pursuit across Syria and Lebanon. It's important to clarify that unlike Hezbollah's situation, this was not a planned manhunt and execution.
20 August 2023, 04:48
31
God bless our Shia resistance aka hezbollah and the "Ahali" for supporting our security forces and not replacing them in pursuit of justice. By getting advance approval from the Prime Minister, the Commander of the Army and Presidential candidate General Joseph Aoun, the Interior Minister, our Shia resistance took the initiative to apprehend this terrorist just like it did recently in Kahaleh and other incidents. This high profile incident comes at a time when several factions inside Lebanon are questioning the effectiveness of the Golden Equation: Shia Resistance, People, and Army. These questions are now answered.
Shia Shea Shia !!!
20 August 2023, 13:59
01
Shea Shea Shea. God Bless America and its representative in Lebanon
20 August 2023, 14:49
10
In Shia lands where cultures sway,
Ambassador Shea finds her say.
Bridging gaps in night and day,
Unity blooms, lighting the way.
笑
