Beirut rocked by large explosion

Another calamity in Beruit....when will it be over?

A LARGE explosion has rocked a stronghold of the Shiite Hezbollah group in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital killing at least five people. The nature of the explosion that hit during rush hour in the Haret Hreik neighborhood was not immediately clear, but a Lebanese security official said it appeared to be caused by a car bomb. If confirmed as a bombing, then it would be the latest in a wave of attacks to hit Lebanon in recent months as the civil war in Syria increasingly spills over into its smaller neighbour.

The attacks have targeted both Sunni and Shiite neighbourhoods, further stoking sectarian tensions that are already running high because of the war next door. Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least five people were killed and 20 wounded in the explosion, which left the mangled wreckage of cars in the street and blew out the windows of store fronts.

Dozens injured ... A man carries an injured woman after a car bomb exploded in Beirut, Lebanon. Source: AP

Hezbollah security agents as well as Lebanese troops were trying to cordon off the area to keep the angry crowds away from the blast site. "Suddenly, the whole area went bright and we started running away,'' Ali Oleik, an accountant who works in a nearby office building, said. "I saw two bodies on the street, one of a woman and another of a man on a motorcycle who was totally deformed.''

Authorities brought out bomb sniffing dogs, and at one point announced that there might be another bomb, setting the crowd scattering in panic from the area. The explosion comes a week after a car bombing in downtown Beirut killed a prominent Sunni politician who had been critical of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Hezbollah allies.

Car bomb ... Lebanese citizens gather at the site of a car bomb explosion in a stronghold of the Shiite Hezbollah group at the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.


Blast... This picture from Al-Manar television shows a large explosion in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"The attacks raise the specter of a sharply divided Lebanon being pulled further into the Syrian conflict, which is being fought on increasingly sectarian lines pitting Sunnis against Shiites.

Syria-based Sunni rebels and militant Islamist groups fighting to topple Assad have threatened to target Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon in retaliation for intervening on behalf of his regime in the conflict."

Source:
www.news.com.au...

It is great to see just how much stability the USA's intervention has brought to these Nations....

It must suck to live in fear of a bomb going off while out and about. My heart goes out to them.

reply to post by pandersway

Another one? Again? This has been going on for years and years in Lebanon. In the 80'-90's, it was really bad after Hezbollah officially became a group in around 1985. Hasnt stopped yet...
and its never GOING to stop.

Its what they do there. They have to all get along. They never did, never will. Shame too... because the Lebanese are wonderful people.

reply to post by pandersway


There have been a lot of bombs here lately (in Beirut).
Every time a bomb goes off, the phone lines get messed up too, because people all call each other to see if they are okay.

The moment it went off, my friends were whatsapping me , asking me if my hubby and I were at home.
I teach English here, live here because my husband is Lebanese, and I think they are great people.

But...we stopped going out for fun and dinner, because it's just not safe here anymore.

I hope the bombs will stop, there was another one last week, and a couple of weeks before that another one too, close to the school I work at.

The worst part is , it's the innocent people who are suffering, and we have to stay at home, like a prison.
Here they reported 5 peoplle dead, and 65 wounded.

Wow! The gal in the photo looks pretty out of it!

I see she somehow had the presence of mind to hang on tight to her cell phone.

I seem to be getting more jaded with each event. It's hard to tell the real from the staged, and who the responsible factions really are.

These are not people being forced to kill each other. These are people who think violence is a path to peace, and deserved by anyone who doesn't completely agree with their ideals.

If every man, woman and child on this planet truly opposed war and violence, the human race wouldn't be such a disappointment.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


It's all pointless violence. Nobody will ever "win", it's just sad.

Be safe.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


Great insight and addition to the thread!

I, too, live in a country where bombs have gone off...Indonesia, so I can understand clearly how you feel.

Stay safe and the best of luck to you both!

When will it stop you ask? It wont be in our time unless the savior comes back. These people originating in the middle east are bound by a strong faith we cannot only begin to comprehend. Its unfortunate it is a faith that denounces tolerance and peace, Its also unfortunate the children have to grow into a world of hate and religious intolerance. If Christianity taught intolerance and violence "as Islam does" as a whole i too would be a martyr one day.

reply to post by pandersway

Thanks, and thank you all

Yes, there have been bombings in the past in Lebanon, but I've only been here 4 years, and this is the first time since I've been here that the car and bike bombs are so frequent.

reply to post by Shaiker


Christianity DOES teach intolerance. Always has. They just keep changing what your not supposed to tolerate.

The most negative, judgemental, intolerant people I've ever met in my life were 'staunch' Christians.

I have also met some wonderful, kind, loving Christians, but they have been the exception to the rule.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


What are people in your community saying? What is it all scaling up to? Is there a foreseeable solution to Lebanon being pulled further into the Syrian conflict?

If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate your angle on this since you're there.

reply to post by nugget1


If you felt that way to them and they truly treated you with judgement by scripture they are lousy Christians. In rder to have doctrine and meaning Christianity follows gods word. In addition, besides the hero Eric Rudolph no one has acted in violence in recent history that is affiliated with true Christianity.



To keep it on track my prayers go out to you and your people that one day Allah or the father will explain peace is the only way to prosper for him.

reply to post by pandersway


Unfortunately most of my Lebanese friends think that as long as the situation in Syria is bad, it will continue to spill over here.

And there are so many Syrians here now, fleeing their country, living like poor people, and starving, the government is trying to help them, set up tents, providing food and shelter. But this is a very small country, and it's also becoming a problem.

I am not very good about talking politics, sorry, but basically, there's nothing we can do until they solve the conflict in Syria.

My friends' and my humble two cents.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue

Time to go. Get the heck out of there for craps sake. I fail to see why anyone would live under those conditions. Are you not allowed to pack up and go somewhere else?

Wanna hear an interesting quote?
"Fighting in the Middle East will never stop until two generations of males are killed".
This came from an Iraqi adviser to the Joints Chiefs of Staff shortly after 911. My buddy was standing there when it was said.

There has been 3000 years of blood feuds amongst those people and I tend to agree with the above quote.
I am a bit kinder though. Were I the CIA I would have developed a chemical weapon that sterilizes men of ME descent and sprayed it everywhere. Not suggesting wiping out an entire race, just the men for a couple of generations. The ladies can prepare to restart their race with lab semen.

When people fight over B.S. for a couple of thousand years I think evolution somehow skipped them. Hell, I am not often a fan of the USA but look at how quickly we have evolved as a society. Not perfect (far from it) but at least we do not kill people in the streets for not believing as we do. We do not stone women or kill children.

I am losing any empathy I once had for people that choose to live like that. It is a choice, don't like it leave.

Sorry this was one of my least positive posts.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


Hopefully one day the UN will learn its role in human crysis instead of serving political agendas.

And there are so many Syrians here now, fleeing their country, living like poor people, and starving, the government is trying to help them, set up tents, providing food and shelter. But this is a very small country, and it's also becoming a problem.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


I feel for them and for you both. Thanks very much for your candid remarks and God Bless.

reply to post by Mamatus


No offense taken. You make logical sense.

But I only have 1 brother in Canada (My parents, grandparents have past on sadly.) Whereas my husband has 4 sisters, 3 brothers, a great, loving family, and a great support system.
We might go back home to Canada in the far future, or if things would get worse, like another war (like in 2006) but we'd like to keep the family together.

Lebanon ain't that bad, really.

reply to post by Mamatus

Time to go. Get the heck out of there for craps sake. I fail to see why anyone would live under those conditions. Are you not allowed to pack up and go somewhere else?

You're being way too hard on the woman. You don't know anything about her situation. Her husband is Lebanese and perhaps this is the only place for work....could be family matters.....

Have a little more compassion for people.

reply to post by Rainbowresidue

For your sake and the sake of your family I truly hope you stay safe there. "Not too many bombings" is IMO way to many. Such a messed up situation with no fix in sight. It makes me sad to think about how humans have chosen to deal with religious differences.

I am glad you knew I was not trying to be harsh on you.

mysterioustranger
reply to post by pandersway

Its what they do there. They have to all get along. They never did, never will. Shame too... because the Lebanese are wonderful people.

edit on 09-22-2013 by mysterioustranger because: (no reason given)

So true. It's a wonderful place: great cuisine, hospitality and nightlife. This is a country that could stand to gain some tourist money (and certainly could deliver value), too bad it's all overshadowed by this nonsense.

I have a dear friend from Lebanon, whom I love like a brother. On occasion we've talked about what's going on there, and in his opinion, there are a significant number of people who are aren't open-minded enough to realize there are folks with backgrounds different from their own. Because of that, there are groups who stand to gain (power, money, etc) from stirring the proverbial pot.

He never comes out and says that its about religion explicitly, but he always reminds me of how the country is about 50/50 Christian/Muslim. And he's also quick to point out that that division can fall across families and neighborhoods- often without incident, so why can't that happen everywhere? It's all very disheartening, and on some level puzzling, to him and his family.