Double Suicide Car Bombings Kill 8 in Southern Beirut Hizbullah Stronghold

The wave of violence aimed at Lebanese supporters of Hizbullah and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad escalated in a Hizbullah-stronghold neighborhood of Beirut on Wednesday when two suicide car bombs exploded. The blasts killed at least 8 and wounded at least 138. Responsibility for the attack was taken by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an Al-Qa’ida-linked Sunni Muslim group. Hizbullah and its loyalists are Shiite. The target, an Iranian cultural center, was selected as “retaliation” for Hizbullah’s role in support of Assad in the Syrian civil war, according to the statement of responsibility. The dual blasts were the latest in a spate of bombings in south Beirut neighborhoods associated with the Iranian proxy Hizbullah. The formation of a new cabinet was announced this week after a 10-month stalemate. Hizbullah will play a pivotal role, holding both foreign and finance ministry portfolios. On Thursday, an official of a pro-Syrian party was gunned down by unknown gunmen in Tripoli.