Beirut Suicide Blasts Cause Panic, Bitterness

By artappraiser on Wed, 02/19/2014 - 11:18pm |

By Diaa Hadid in Beirut, Associated Press, Feb. 19, 2014

Two suicide bombers blew up their cars near an Iranian cultural center in Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least four people and wounding scores, including children in an orphanage, in the latest attack targeting Shiite areas in Lebanon.

An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for the bombings, saying they were retaliation for Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian war alongside President Bashar Assad's forces. The Shiite militant organization is backed by Iran.

But the attack — like a dozen other similar bombings since July against Shiite areas of Lebanon — killed and wounded civilians. They included a dozen boys and girls living in a home for abandoned and orphaned children, said Dr. Hussam Bitar, a surgeon at Al-Zahraa hospital, where the youngsters were treated [....]

URL:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/explosion-hits-south-beirut-neighborhood-22575644