Car bombing in Beirut suburb
Car bombing in Beirut suburbIsrael news photo: Flash 90

A bomb killed several terrorists in Beirut on Saturday night, but it is not clear to what organization they belonged. 

According to some reports, the car bomb was aimed at a top Hamas official, and claimed the life of two Hamas terrorists and wounded at least three others. One report alleged that Ali Barakeh, the Hamas commander in southern Lebanon and the owner of the car, was among the dead. A Hamas spokesperson said it was not yet clear who was behind the blast.

 

A report by the Arabic-language Al Arabiya news network, however, said that three Hizbullah security officials were killed and five others were wounded.

 

The massive car bombing occurred in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik and was caused by “three bombs tied to each other,” according to the state-run National News Agency.

 

Hamas Officials Disappear Underground

The Hamas group’s Lebanon-based representative, Osama Hamdan, was not available for comment following the blast. The person who answered his cell phone said he had no information, according to the Associated Press.

 

All other Hamas officials in Lebanon and neighboring Syria, including Damascus-based political bureau chief Khaled Mashal, did not answer repeated calls from journalists.

 

Unclear Whether Target was Hamas or Hizbullah

The explosion took place approximately 700 meters (2,300 feet) away from a spot where a Hizbullah religious event was taking place at the time.

 

Hundreds of the Shi’ite terrorists had gathered in the area to commemorate Ashoura, which marks the death in 680 CE of Imam Hussein, grandson of Muhammed, founder of Islam. Hussein died in battle in Iraq against the eventual leader of Sunni Islam.

 

The neighborhood in which the attack occurred is controlled by the Shi’ite Hizbullah terrorist organization, which quickly sealed off the streets, barring journalists from approaching the blast site. Lebanese security officials told AP they were unable to independently confirm the cause of the explosion or who the target was.

 

Al-Manar television, owned by Hizbullah, barely mentioned the attack, quoted Lebanese officials as saying “an explosion in Haret Hreik targeted an office belonging to Hamas, causing a number of casualties.” No further details were provided.

Both Hamas and Hizbullah are proxy terrorist militias funded and controlled by Iran.