Officials Denounce Bir al-Abed Blast, Call on State to Control Security Situation
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Several officials denounced on Tuesday the blast that targeted Bir al-Abed neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, calling on the state to control the security situation in Lebanon.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned the explosion, saying that the incident compels the Lebanese to consolidate national consensus and distance the country from any foreign conflict.
“We must evade slipping into wars that will only trigger more division and instability in Lebanon,” Hariri said in a statement.
He pointed out that the Lebanese must be aware of the dangers surrounding the country and the region, in particular, Israel's attempt to create sedition by plotting “terrorist acts such as Tuesday's blast.”
Hariri called on the competent judicial and security authorities to swiftly reveal the culprits responsible for the explosion
He pointed out that the political leaders are responsible for ending all disputes that degrade the situation in the country and cause the security violations that are moving from an area to another.
At least 50 people were wounded in the explosion that was caused by a booby-trapped vehicle.
Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn said that the Lebanese are at a crossroad amid the situation in the region as these kinds of explosions only target stability.
For his part, Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel denounced the explosion, considering it is a sign of the dangers that are threatening the country.
“The state should control the security situation in the country,” Gemayel stated.
He later said after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “We wish the wounded a speedy recovery and announce our solidarity with the residents of Dahieh, and Hizbullah in particular.”
“The terrorist attack not only targets the Dahieh residents, but the whole of Lebanon,” he added.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea later condemned the attack, demanding that the judicial and security agencies deal with the matter with “complete seriousness” in order to reveal the perpetrators as soon as possible.
“The security of the nation and its people can only be provided by the strong and capable state through all of its security and military institutions,” he added.
“There can be no security in Lebanon without implementing the policy of disassociation in full,” he declared.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat considered the attack as an assault on the national security.
Officially neutral in Syria's conflict, Lebanon is deeply divided into pro- and anti-Assad camps.
Hizbullah and its allies back President Bashar Assad, who adheres to the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam, while the Sunni-led opposition supports rebels seeking his ouster.
Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh later condemned the Dahieh attack, calling on officials to pay attention to their political rhetoric.
He warned: “The rhetoric of sectarian incitement that we are witnessing today might be exploited by Lebanon's enemies to undermine domestic stability."
The March 14 General Secretariat, on the other hand, said that the Dahieh blast targeted all Lebanon.
“Salvation should be for all or for no one,” a statement issued by the March 14 general secretariat said.
It called on the competent judicial and security authorities to take the necessary measures to reveal the culprits responsible for the incident.
Al-Mustaqbal Parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora also denounced the attack, calling on citizens to be aware of the conspiracies surrounding the country.
09 July 2013, 13:43
06
...green spaces, accountable leaders, transparent government, safe food products.......wish we could focus on the meaningful issues in this country instead of stupid religion. I can't believe that after all we've seen from the religion in this part of the world after all these centuries that we have not all renounced religion en masse already!
09 July 2013, 13:43
05
...green spaces, accountable leaders, transparent government, safe food products.......wish we could focus on the meaningful issues in this country instead of stupid religion. I can't believe that after all we've seen from the religion in this part of the world after all these centuries that we have not all renounced religion en masse already!
09 July 2013, 13:44
04
The state blablabla blabla bla blast, blablabla blabla bla situation.
I don't understand, when I do my job and sometimes I fail it makes me feel really bad and I try to do better and my best the next time. For our politicians it's fail fail fail and yet they feel always so proud! Do they ever feel ashamed to be such a failure to the people?? Just wondering.
09 July 2013, 14:14
38
Hezbollah can't live for ever. The Lebanese Forces were mightier than might and they were beaten. What will happen to Shiaa post Hizb? Best choice they can make is to integrate in the country under ONLY the Lebanese flag as opposed to being the fag of the Iranian flag.
09 July 2013, 15:05
16
It is not a time for "I told you so", or for the admonision that "those who live by the car bomb shall die by the car bomb". None of this. This bomb went off on Lebanese soil and killed innocent Lebanese people. It was a crime against the peace and dignity of the people of Lebanon.
From this point the situation can go one of two ways. It can go the way of recrimination and revenge which will send the country even further down the spiral into hell.
Or, this can be a wake up call to all parties to end the nonsense; restore credibility and legitmacy to the institutions of government so that the authorities can restore order. Call for Parlimentary elections NOW; A new prime minister, NOW, a counsel of ministers approved by Parliament, NOW. No more care takers. The country needs a government.
09 July 2013, 16:40
31
The fact is some radical Sunnis in power (Gulf States) do not like Shiites for some reason, I guess it goes way back in time, this by itself is allowing al Qaeda agents to infiltrate and carry on car bombing and just plain slaughter civilians for the hate of it, take a look at Iraq and elsewhere in the Arab world, it’s like going back to the dark ages…It’s really Sad that we as Lebanese are so split into pieces and we can’t agree on anything except fight each another!
09 July 2013, 16:56
12
The last thing I want to hear is politicians condemning this. They did this. The blood is on THEIR hands for being incompetent leaders in times of crisis. Yes, I am referring to politicians on both sides.
09 July 2013, 17:06
00
GCB1 : Politicians have nothing to do with this ... the blood is on the hands of their supporters who still vote for them, support them blindly, repeat their propaganda without even questioning their logic, believe their lies ...
Politicians must be applauded for being able to manipulate lebanese sheep, left and right.
The blame should go to the Lebanese people from all sides who are responsible for letting these politicians come to power in the first place.
Lebanese ignorants who failed to learn their lesson after a 20 year war.
Lebanese masochist who make the same mistakes over and over again.
Lebanese idiots who fail to wake up to the truth that is Lebanon. Who fail to realize the extent to which they are being manipulated into hating each other. Who fail to recognize that the enemy is a GHOST some call Israel, some call terrorists used as any excuse to justify illegal actions, murders, and the plain rape of lebanese society.
09 July 2013, 17:44
01
I am registered as a citizen of bir al 3abed, this is an act of aggression and clearly strategic in nature. Long live the Kataeb.
09 July 2013, 20:29
03
We have to show them we are civilized, unlike them.... I'd go for no baklawa ;-)
10 July 2013, 05:37
00
More explosives will probably come, few weeks ago two rockets from Balloune were launched and landed in the Baabda area, FSA mentioned and warned many times for HA to stop interfering in Syria, they're launching rockets to Hermel, so it's well known who did this job. That's why some did not understand what disassociation policy. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
10 July 2013, 07:43
00
This booby trapped car wasn't as strong as the St Georges one, and Nasrallah wasn't killed as a result..! Whoever did it has to keep trying !
