Another Syrian group claims responsibility for Beirut blast

Another unknown Syrian rebel group   “Aisha the Mother of Believers Brigades for Foreign Missions” claimed responsibility for Thursday’s car bombing that killed at least 19 and wounded hundreds in  Dhahieh the heart of Hezbollah’s  stronghold south of the capital Beirut .

In video posted on You Tube,  3 masked men urged Lebanese citizens to stay away from the regions controlled by Hezbollah, since – he claims – additional attacks will occur there. The authenticity has not yet been be verified.

The masked men also said : “We, The Aisha Mother of Believers Brigades for foreign missions, send you Hassan Nasrallah and your party our second resonant, strong message after having sent you our first message and you still do not understand.” The first message is probably the Bir al-Abed bomb attack. See below.

This is the second attack in just over a month that targets the Hezbollah stronghold in Dhahieh, a Beirut suburb.

An unknown Syrian rebel group called a Liwa’a 313 Brigade, a faction of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), claimed responsibility for the July 10 bomb attack which took place in a parking lot at a commercial and residential neighborhood of Bir al-Abed area of Beirut’s Dahieh suburb.

Dozens were wounded when the car bomb exploded and the power of the explosion shattered windows and damaged several buildings in the area.

In a statement in Arabic on Facebook , the group lashed out at the Lebanese state, which it said actively assists Hezbollah. It claimed the bombing was a response to Hezbollah participation in the Syrian regime’s ongoing offensive against the city of Homs – a strategically important position and a hub of rebel activity.

“We warned again and again against [Hezbollah’s] intervention in Syria,” the Liwa’a brigade added.

The rebel group also claimed it was behind an attack on a Hezbollah convoy in eastern Lebanon on June 28.

But as in the case of the July bomb attack Luay al-Meqdad, media and political co-ordinator for the Free Syrian Army issued a statement in which he” denounced the bombing as a terrorist act that ” targeted the security and stability of Lebanon and our Lebanese brothers which we consider a red line”. He offered condolences to the relatives of the victims and wished speedy recovery for the wounded.

Hezbollah openly joined the fight in Syria several months ago , and the group’s fighters were instrumental in helping the Syrian regime regain control of the strategic town of Qusair near the Lebanese border.

Several March 14 leaders have been urging Hezbollah to abide by Lebanon’s disassociation policy with regards to Syria and bring back its fighters to  Lebanon.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a key member of March 14 urged Hezbollah to bring back home its fighters from Syria, hand over its weapons to the state, become part of the Lebanese fold, and limit its losses, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Similarly President Suleiman gave a speech during a ceremony on August 1 marking the 68 the Army Day in which he criticized Hezbollah’s defense of the Syrian regime. Two 107 mm rockets were fired at the Baabda area hours after Suleiman’s speech ;one landed within the security perimeter of the Presidential Palace and the other within the security perimeter of the Army headquarters . Fingers were pointed at Hezbollah as being behind the rocket attack.

Several Lebanese leaders on Thursday pointed fingers at Israel specially because the bomb attack came day after Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah claimed during an interview with Lebanese television station Al-Mayadeen that two remotely controlled bombs detonated inside Lebanon when the Israeli force crossed the border. He said Hezbollah members knew in advance the Israelis were coming and planted the bombs to target them.

Four Israeli soldiers were injured on August 8 after they entered into Lebanese territory near Labouneh, an area south of Naqoura. National News Agency reported at the time that a landmine caused the bast that injured the soldiers.

UNIFIL chief  responded  Thursday  to Nasrallah’s interview by warning  Hezbollah  not to do it again.