Car Bomb Kills 3, Hurts Dozens in Hermel, 'al-Nusra in Lebanon' Claims Attack
A car bombing targeted on Thursday the eastern town of Hermel, a Hizbullah stronghold, killing at least three people and wounding more than 26, in an attack claimed by an apparent al-Nusra Front offshoot.
The explosion ripped through Hermel's main square where the Serail is located. Hermel is a predominantly Shiite town and lies near the Lebanon-Syria border.
A group calling itself “al-Nusra Front in Lebanon” claimed responsibility for the attack in a Twitter message.
“With the help of God, the bastion of Iran's party (Hizbullah) in Hermel has been rocked by a martyrdom operation carried out by one of the 'lions' of al-Nusra Front in Lebanon, in response to the party's crimes against the women and children of the Sunni community in Syria,” the tweet said.
The group called on Sunnis across Lebanon to “close their ranks to confront the Party of Satan (Hizbullah).”
The alleged Nusra offshoot described Hizbullah as “foolish and coward.”
“It is foolish in its security evaluations and coward for placing its bases in civilian areas,” it added.
Al-Nusra Front is the main rebel group fighting to topple the Assad regime. It is al-Qaida's arm in Syria and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization.
It is not clear whether al-Nusra Front in Lebanon has links to the Syrian rebel group.
The health ministry said human remains were found near the site of the blast.
Red Cross Operations Director George Kettaneh said some of the wounded were in serious condition and would be taken to hospitals in the eastern city of Zahle.
Reports said the bombing was caused by a suicide bomber after witnesses saw human remains in the mangled car, a black Kia four-wheeler, which was parked near the Canadian Bank.
The bank's manager is among the dead, they said.
Al-Jadeed TV reported that the suicide bomber was wearing an explosives belt and the car was loaded with explosives.
The army issued a statement saying three people were killed and several others were wounded in the bombing. It did not confirm whether the attack was a suicide bombing.
In another statement issued in the evening, the army said the blast resulted from around 30 kilograms of explosives that were placed in a Kia SUV carrying a fake license plate with the number 266271/M.
Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil asked the hospitals in the eastern Bekaa region to treat the injured at the expense of the ministry.
Hermel's mayor, Sobhi Saqr, told Hizbullah's al-Manar TV that the attack occurred as students were on their way to schools and while employees were going to work.
"It was a very big blast," Saqr said.
Later, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr ordered security forces to carry out the preliminary investigations in Hermel blast and tasked Judge Kamal Nassar to inspect the site of the explosion.
The army command urged citizens not to gather in the targeted area to avoid another bombing and facilitate the task of the military and the specialized agencies.
Earlier this month, a suicide car bombing shook the district of Haret Hreik in Beirut's southern suburbs.
That bombing was the fourth attack in Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah bastion, since the party announced it was fighting in Syria.
As well as the Iranian embassy suicide attacks in November, the southern suburbs also suffered an August 15 bombing and a blast earlier the same month.
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