Bomb Detonates at Home of Hizbullah-backed Lebanese Minister

An explosive device detonated Thursday morning outside of the home of a Lebanese government minister who is backed by Hizbullah. Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh said in a statement that a bomb wrapped in electrical wires exploded in his garden, in the eastern Bekaa Valley village of Taraiyya. No casualties or injuries were reported in the attack. Hizbullah and allied parties currently represent the majority in Lebanon’s parliament, though reformist candidates made gains in the country’s May elections, reflecting public sentiment that has turned sharply a ruling elite that is widely considered to be corrupt and incompetent. Meanwhile, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources, that Lebanon’s judiciary is seeking to appoint a second judge to the stalled investigation into the 2020 Beirut Port blast which killed over 220 and wounded nearly 7,000. The investigation led by Judge Tarek Bitar has been suspended since late 2021 by lawsuits brought by politicians that the judge wants to question.