Deadly bomb blast rocks Beirut, Lebanon
A deadly explosion in Beirut killed eight people and wounded 80, witnesses and officials tell Reuters
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A firefighter tries to put out a fire at the scene of an explosion in Ashafriyeh, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban
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Bomb blast in Beirut kills at least eight
A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said.
It was not immediately clear if the explosion targeted any political figure in Lebanon's divided community but it occurred at a time of heightened tension between Lebanese factions on opposite sides of the Syria conflict.
The bomb exploded in the street where the office of the anti-Damascus Christian Phalange Party is located near Sassine Square in Ashafriyeh, a mostly Christian area.
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[By: Oliver Holmes, with reports from Mariam Karouny] -
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Firefighters try to extinguish a fire as a car burns at the scene of an explosion in Ashafriyeh, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said. [REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban]
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Video: Aerial view of bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon [YouTube/Fatima Rida] -
A car burns at the site of an explosion in Ashrafieh, east Beirut, October 19, 2012. At least two people were killed and 15 wounded in a roadside bomb that exploded in central Beirut on Friday, a security source said. [REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban]
Photo gallery: Bomb blast rocks Beirut, Lebanon -
Lebanese Red Cross personnel are seen at the site of an explosion in Ashafriyeh district, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said. [REUTERS/Sharif Karim]
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Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says the government is on high alert following a bomb blast in central Beirut that killed several people, according to the Daily Star newspaper.
The paper also reported that the opposition "March 14" group accused Syria of being behind the explosion.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the blast, and it's unclear who the target of the explosion was. -
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Eyewitness Michael Fish, a 25-year-old British musician, was staying at a hotel in Beirut when the explosion happened on Friday. Fish told Reuters:
"At first I thought it was an earthquake. It shook the whole hotel for a second. I ran down and started filming on my iPhone."
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Lebanese soldiers and security personnel walk amidst the rubble after an explosion in Ashrafiyeh district, in central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing eight people, wounding about 80 and raising fears of renewed sectarian violence in a country still scarred from a long civil war. [REUTERS/Wadih Shlink]
Photo gallery: Deadly bomb blast rocks Beirut, Lebanon -
Video: Aftermath of bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon [YouTube/Al Jazeed TV] -
Fast facts: Bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon
- Explosion near Sassine Square in Beirut, Lebanon
- Eight dead, 78 injured, witnesses and officials say
- Unclear who was target of bomb blast
- Hospitals making appeal for blood donations following blast
- No claim of responsibility for explosion
[Information: Reuters] -
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Lebanese soldiers, along with security personnel, secure the area after an explosion hit the Ashrafiyeh district, in central Beirut October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing eight people, wounding about 80 and raising fears of renewed sectarian violence in a country still scarred from a long civil war. [REUTERS/Hussam Shebaro]
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A wounded woman is carried at the site of an explosion in Ashrafieh, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. At least two people were killed and 15 wounded by a huge bomb that exploded in a street in central Beirut on Friday, witnesses and a security source said. [REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban]
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The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning in September 2012 for Lebanon. A press release for the travel warning reads:
The ongoing unrest in Syria has also resulted in numerous security incidents in the border regions between Lebanon and Syria and coincides with an increasing number of security incidents around the country.
There are currently travel warnings for over 30 countries. -
Senior Lebanese security official killed in Beirut blast: official
Senior Lebanese intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan was targeted and killed in the Beirut explosion on Friday, a Lebanese official told Reuters.
"I can just say that it is true, he is dead," the official, who worked with al-Hassan, said.
Al-Hassan was the brain behind uncovering a recent bomb plot that led to the arrest of a Lebanese politician allied to President Bashar al-Assad. -
MTV Lebanon: Prime Minister Najib Miktai has called for a national day of mourning on Saturday following the bomb blast in Beirut.
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Al Jadeed TV: Following the death of Wissam al-Hassan, angry protesters have started walking through the streets.
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Civil defence personnel work at the site of an explosion in the Ashrafiyeh district, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb exploded in central Beirut during rush hour on Friday, killing eight people, wounding about 80 and raising fears of renewed sectarian violence in a country still scarred from a long civil war. [REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah]
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Fast facts: Wissam al-Hassan
- Lebanese intelligence officer for Internal Security Forces
- Backed by the March 14th opposition coalition
- Conducted raids against people affiliated with March 8th alliance
[Information: Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar English] -
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Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said all U.S. embassy personnel have been accounted for and there are no reports that American citizens were among the victims of today's blast in Beirut, Lebanon. From today's press conference:
"We condemn this act of terrorism...it was a car bomb, but of course there has to be an investigation as to intent...we don't yet have any information as to who the perpetrators are."
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Lebanon's former President Amine Gemayel (C) and Samir Geagea (L), leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces, speak to journalists during a visit to the scene of a car bomb explosion in Ashrafiyeh, central Beirut, October 19, 2012. A huge car bomb explosion in Beirut on Friday killed a top Lebanese security official whose investigations implicated Syria and Hezbollah in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri seven years ago. [REUTERS/Mahmoud Kheir]
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Sunni Muslim protesters burn tires and block a street in Beirut as they protest against the killing of senior intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan in an explosion, in Beirut October 19, 2012. Sunni Muslims took to the streets and burned tyres across Lebanon in protest against the killing of senior intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan on Friday, witnesses said. Protesters blocked the streets in Sunni strongholds of the eastern Bekaa valley region, the northern area of Akkar, neighbourhoods of the capital Beirut and in the southern city of Sidon. [REUTERS/Hussam Shebaro]
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American University of Beirut has canceled exams for Saturday following today's incident in Lebanon. On Twitter, the school said the exams would be rescheduled for next week. On Facebook, the school said:
"We greatly regret the tragic injuries and loss of life resulting from the explosion today in Beirut. Our thoughts are with the individuals, families and communities that have been affected.
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A Sunni Muslim woman reacts as she burns a tire, blocking a street in Beirut during protests against the killing of senior intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan in an explosion, October 19, 2012. Sunni Muslims took to the streets and burned tyres across Lebanon in protest against the killing of senior intelligence official Wissam al-Hassan on Friday, witnesses said. Protesters blocked the streets in Sunni strongholds of the eastern Bekaa valley region, the northern area of Akkar, neighbourhoods of the capital Beirut and in the southern city of Sidon. [REUTERS/Hussam Shebaro]
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Lebanon's former PM Hariri blames Assad for Beirut bomb
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday of being behind the huge car bomb which killed a senior Lebanese intelligence official in central Beirut.
Asked by Lebanon's Future Television who was responsible for the killing, Hariri replied: "Bashar Hafez al-Assad," giving the full name of the Syrian president.
"Who killed Wissam al-Hassan is as clear as day. Certainly the Lebanese people will not be silent over this heinous crime and I, Saad Hariri, promise that I will not be silent," he said.
[Reporting: Laila Bassam & Mariam Karouny] -
Video: Secondary explosion following blast in Beirut [YouTube/krhymme] -
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Al Jadeed TV: Protesters continue to burn tires, are now shooting in the air, in Lebanon following official's death.
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Transcription of today's U.S. State Department press briefing, comments as they relate to the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon:
VICTORIA NULAND, U.S. State Department: Well, first of all we condemn in the strongest terms this apparent act of terrorism that took place today in Beirut’s Achrafieh neighborhood. There is no justification for such violence. The Government of Lebanon is obviously going to have to conduct an investigation, and you are right, Matt, that we do not yet have details either on who the perpetrators were. We do know that our Embassy personnel are all accounted for. We also don’t have any reports at this stage of American citizens having been victims. We obviously express our heartfelt sympathies for the families and the loved ones of those who were killed and injured, and we stand by the people of Lebanon and renew our commitment to a stable, sovereign, and independent Lebanon.
With regard to your -
QUESTION: Well, wait - before - just before you go to the second part of the question, you condemn this "apparent" act of terrorism?
MS. NULAND: Well, it -
QUESTION: So, I mean, I’m just curious. Is there a reason -
MS. NULAND: It was a car bomb. We have no reason to believe it wasn’t terrorism, but obviously the Lebanese -
QUESTION: Do you want to say that - do you want to change your - what you said to say, "We condemn this act of terrorism" rather than "apparent act of terrorism?"
MS. NULAND: Look, again - yes, we condemn this act of terrorism. You are right; there is no justification for the word "apparent" in this sentence.
[Source: U.S. State Department transcript] -
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Statement by U.S. National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor on the bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon:
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack today in Beirut that killed Lebanese Internal Security Forces Information Bureau Director Wissam al-Hassan and at least seven others, and wounded dozens more.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed and injured in this heinous attack and with the Lebanese people, who have sacrificed greatly to overcome war and violence. Lebanon’s security and stability are vital both for the Lebanese people and their neighbors.
There is no justification for using assassination as a political tool. The United States will stand by the Government of Lebanon and the people of Lebanon as they work to bring those responsible for this barbaric attack to justice and build a future where all Lebanese can live in security and dignity.
[Source: WhiteHouse.gov] -
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Our live coverage on the bomb blast in Beirut, Lebanon is coming to an end for today. For the latest information on this story, visit Reuters.com
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