Scores of Lebanese Civilians killed, Wounded in Beirut Southern Suburb Suicide Explosion

BEIRUT,(ST)_ Lebanese Caretaker Minister of Public Health Ali Hassan Khalil  said that at least 21 people were killed  and wounded 250 in the southern suburb of Beirut Thursday, as a result of  the terrorist explosion  which hit the area.

The evening attack, which the Lebanese Army confirmed was a car bomb, occurred in the neighborhood of Ruwaiss, near Mahfouz shops in Beirut ‘s southern Suburbs , as residents had been returning home from their businesses.

A statement by the Lebanese army  Guidance Directorate said  one army unity rushed  to the .

place and imposed a security cordon around it , together with a number of experts and a military police unit to investigate the   incident under the supervision of the competent court  in order to detect and determine related implications  and identity of the perpetrators.

Lebanese Security sources earlier put the death toll at 18,  as the Lebanese army said the explosion was a result of a booby trapped car.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators are looking at witness reports that a suicide bomber detonated the car in the middle the road.

Panic and urgency prevailed at the site of the explosion, which sent plumes of smoke in the Beirut sky that could be seen from miles away.

People trapped in burning buildings cried out for help from windows.

As ambulances arrived, people from the neighborhood helped firefighters carry hoses and buckets of water to put out the flames engulfing nearby cars and buildings.

The Lebanese Red Cross said it dispatched 15 ambulances as part of its response and was coordinating with other organizations to evacuate residents.

Locals voiced mixed reactions to the explosive that left extensive damage in its wake.

A previously unheard of group calling itself the “Brigade of Aisha, the Mother of the Faithful” claimed responsibility for the attack.

This is the second car bombing attack to target a neighborhood seen as a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital in less than two months.

On July 9, over 50 people were wounded after a car blast ripped through the Bir al-Abed neighborhood.

Four people were also wounded in a twin rocket attack on Shiyah in the southern suburb in May.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly  condemned the terrorist bombing and called on the Lebanese to maintain unity.

Ki-moon said in a UN statement quoted by AFP  that under this time  of extreme tension , all Lebanese should  remain united and rallied behind the  state institutions and maintain security and stability.

“Such acts of violence are totally unacceptable and strengthen the international community’s determination to continue to support security and stability in Lebanon in the amid  regional tension,” the statement read

According to  diplomats at the UN , the Security Council  will also issue a similar statement condemning the blast.

Political and religious figures of various stripes condemned Thursday’s car bombing, with many hinting or directly accusing Israel of being behind the attack.

Lebanese Personalities and prominent figures  described the explosion  as  serving  the Zionist enemy regardless to  the implementation tool.

T. Fateh