Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Explosion in East Lebanon Leaves One Dead, 11 Injured | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55357544
Caption:

A bomb exploded in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least 11 others, according to the Red Cross (Reuters)


Beirut – A Syrian woman was killed and 11 people injured early Thursday in a roadside bomb explosion in the city of Zahle, eastern Lebanon.

While preliminary information said that the bomb was targeted against a convoy that was heading south to participate in the commemoration of the disappearance of Imam Moussa As-Sadr, Amal Movement denied the reports and the president of Zahle’s municipality ruled out any intention to target his city.

Security sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that the perpetrators of the attack were seeking to distort the area’s stability, in light of great efforts deployed by the country’s security forces to prevent terrorist attacks in the country.

Lebanese Red Cross chief George Kettaneh told media that one woman was killed and 10 people were wounded in the attack. All but two were treated in hospital, he said.

The state-run National News Agency later put the wounded toll at 11, including two child siblings aged 8 and 9.

Security forces cordoned off the area and shut the roundabout.

In a statement later in the day, the Lebanese Army said investigations showed the explosive device contained 4 kilograms of TNT.

Investigations were ongoing, the statement said, without adding detail.

For his part, the president of Zahle’s municipality Asaad Zougheib said the bomb was placed on the side of the road. He added that he believed the explosion did not target Zahle specifically, warning of the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon and the region.

Several security incidents have hit Lebanon in recent months, including an attack by eight suicide bombers who blew themselves up killing five other people in a Christian village in the north in June.