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Series of Islamic State Suicide Bombings Hit Lebanon: 53 Civilians Killed in Two Weeks

Twin suicide bombings rocked the Burj el-Barajneh area of south Beirut, killing 43 people and wounding over 200 Twin suicide bombings rocked the Burj el-Barajneh area of south Beirut, killing 43 people and wounding over 200 AFP/Anwar Amro

November 12, 2015
Lebanon suffers two brutal attacks hitting a Beirut public area and Muslim scholars in Arsal.

On Thursday, November 12 twin suicide bombings rocked the Burj el-Barajneh area of south Beirut, killing 43 people and wounding over 200. The attacks took place in a busy shopping district during rush hour. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the atrocity, which has been the worst attack in Lebanon in years.

The Islamic State claimed to have targeted the shopping district because of Shiite Muslims who populate the area. IS views Shiite Muslims as apostates. They also claimed to have been striking against Hezbollah, a militant group that has tight security control in this district. The blasts were detonated near a bakery, only metres from a hospital, and by the gates of a school. At the time the streets were full of families gathering after work.

Only a week earlier, on November 5, Muslim scholars were attacked in Arsal, a border city with Syria. At least 10 people were killed and dozens were injured. The attack targeted the Qalamoun Scholars Committee, a group of Syrian religious scholars who have played a major role in securing the release of soldiers captured by the Islamic State. The explosives were hidden inside a motorcycle parked near the committee meeting. The attack also took place near a wedding. Both the bride and groom were killed in the blast.

The day after the Beirut attack, Lebanon endured a day of mourning. The Lebanese government ordered military police and army intelligence to carry out investigations in both Arsal and Beirut. The United Nations condemned the terrorist attacks and reiterated its support for the Lebanese Armed Forces and security services.

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Beirut and other Lebanese cities have been targeted for bombings and other attacks carried out in the name of rival Syrian factions. Hezbollah, who has power in Lebanon, is a crucial ally of the Syrian government.

 

To read more, visit:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/isil-claims-suicide-bombings-southern-beirut-151112193802793.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/lebanon-families-mourn-victims-beirut-bombings
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52542#.VkxhoEYYGag
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52576#.VkxjkUYYGag
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/world/middleeast/lebanon-explosions-southern-beirut-hezbollah.html?ref=topics
http://yalibnan.com/2015/11/05/at-least-10-killed-in-a-blast-targeting-muslim-scholars-in-arsal/
http://www.ibtimes.co.in/lebanon-blast-multiple-causalities-expected-after-bomb-explosion-gas-station-653456

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