Dozens Injured by Explosion in Christian Town Near Beirut, Lebanon

An explosion near a Christian radio station and church north of Beirut injured 28 people Friday night, on the eve of the return of a Christian Lebanese politician who had been exiled for the last 14 years.

The explosion is the fifth bombing in Christian areas of Lebanon during the last two months. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud condemned the attack as "a desperate attempt to restore the climate of terror and fear among Lebanese," according to Reuters.

The attack took place in Jounieh, about 10 miles north of Beirut near the main square of the town's commercial district.

A Christian radio station and a Maronite Catholic church were in the vicinity.

Earlier in the day, the station had aired live broadcasts of Lebanese that are imprisoned in Syrian jails, according to the Associated Press.

Father Fadi Thabet, the radio station manager, was not sure if the attack was a deliberate attack on the station. However, he said, "Nothing will scare us," according to AP.

The explosion shattered car, apartment and shop windows, according to AP. Firefighters quickly came to assist as ambulances took the injured to a nearby hospital and investigators cordoned off the area to begin searching the site.

"I was standing outside my shop and I felt a huge amount of pressure and I found myself lying on the floor inside. All I saw was smoke," Joseph Barsomian, who works at a local store told Reuters.

There were conflicting reports that the blast may or may not have killed a Sri Lankan woman.

Former General Michel Aoun, a Maronite Christian Lebanese who has been running the anti-Syrian Free Patriotic Movement from France while in exile, said that he was unfazed by the attack and would return to the nation on Saturday as planned.

"We will meet the Lebanese people tomorrow (Saturday) ... Any attempt to intimidate us will fail," he said on Lebanese LBC television from Paris, according to Reuters.

Aoun went into exile in 1990 after being defeated at the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. Recently, an arrest warrant from that year was dropped. It alleged he had assaulted state security, national unity and the constitution, along with accusations of embezzling state funds, accoring to Reuters.

He enjoys the support of many Maronite Christians in the country. He has not indicated if he will be a candidate in the upcoming May 29 parliamentary election but he did not rule it out, Reuters reported.

The election follows the recent, complete withdrawal of the Syrian army, which ended a near 30-year military presence in the country.

The pullout was precipitated by massive Lebanese protests and international pressure on Syria after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February. The explosion that killed him also killed 19 others.





Francis Helguero
Christian Today Correspondent