The Associated Press reported on a suicide bombing in a Beirut hotel Wednesday:
The bombing is the latest in a string of attacks and security scares in Lebanon over the past week that have sparked fears of renewed violence in a country that has been deeply affected by the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Lebanon’s Future bloc had earlier in the day blasted Hezbollah for continued meddling in regional affairs following car bombings in the country last Friday and Monday that appeared to target areas dominated by the terror group:
“The latest attacks on Dahr al-Baidar and Tayyouneh reveal the absence of any sympathy toward the perpetrator,” The Future bloc said, adding that “the Lebanese refuse to drift in to terrorism, and are holding on to civil peace and national unity.”
The party laid responsibility for these incidents at Hezbollah’s feet.
“The continuity of Hezbollah’s involvement in the battle for Syria is behind Lebanon’s terrorism problem,” it said. “Hezbollah has immersed itself in the region’s problems and is requested to withdraw from Syria before tomorrow.”
The Al Qaeda-affiliated Abdullah Azzam Brigades had announced that similar attacks would continue until Hezbollah withdrew from the conflict in Syria. The uptick in attacks has renewed concerns that blowback generated by the group’s participation in regional Sunni-Shiite conflicts may end up dragging Lebanon into those conflicts.
The blowback Hezbollah has faced in Lebanon – the group’s strongholds have regularly been targeted by opponents – has been devastating to claims that Hezbollah is an indigenous Lebanese organization seeking to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty.
[Photo: Nirvana News / YouTube]