Two bombs exploded in a Shiite suburb of Beirut on Thursday inuring hundreds of people and killing at least 37. The Islamic State took immediate responsibility for the attack.
Late on Thursday a pair of bombs were detonated in Beirut, killing at least 37 people and wounding hundreds. The Islamic State seems bent of continuing its violent policy of creating death and chaos everywhere in the Middle East and Lebanon is just its next target.
It is one of the most horrific incidents of violence to be leveled at Lebanon in a few years. The bombs exploded in a Beirut suburb where the targets seemed to have been the formidable Shiite Hezbollah militia forces. The Islamic State are Sunni Muslim, reports The Washington Post. The hope is that the attack will create further chaos, and further political and religious divisions within the country.
Hezbollah has been fighting in the Syrian civil war along with forces from Iraq and the Russians to drive the Islamic State from Syria. The bomb may have been retribution against Hezbollah forces. The Sunni Muslims factions are furious that Hezbollah, who are Shiite, who have sided against the Islamic State.
One bomber wore a vest and detonated it when he arrived at his target and the second bomber hit the suburb from a motorcycle. Both of the bombers murdered themselves in the bombing runs. A tweet sent out after the bombings claim that more than 40 were murdered and over 200 critically injured. The report made via Twitter has not been confirmed or authenticated by anyone.
Reports from Lebanese authorities state that there was third bomber but that he was killed in a blast from one of the other bombers and never made it to his target. That section of Beirut was clogged with people as it was at the height of the rush hour in the city. The Islamic State wanted to attack at that hour in the hope of murdering as many people, including children, as they could.
The scene was utter chaos as their was blood and dead bodies everywhere. Ambulances and emergency teams worked as fast as they could. There are nearly 2 million Syrians living in Lebanon after having fled from the civil war in their country. It has created an immense burden for Lebanon which only has a population of 4 million.
