| Beirut car explosion | |
|---|---|
| Part ofSyrian civil war spillover in Lebanon | |
| Location | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Coordinates | 33°51′N35°31′E / 33.85°N 35.52°E /33.85; 35.52 |
| Date | 15 August 2013 (2013-08-15) |
Attack type | Car bomb |
| Deaths | 27 |
| Injured | 226 |
| Perpetrators | Aisha Umm-al Mouemeneen (Brigades of Aisha)[1] |
On 15 August 2013, acar bomb exploded inBeirut, Lebanon killing 27 people and injuring over 200 people. The car bomb was intended for the stronghold ofHezbollah.[2][3] It was reportedly the "worst explosion in south Beirut" since a1985 truck bomb assassination attempt targeting topShiite clericMohammed Hussein Fadlallah.[4] TheIslamist group Aisha Umm-al Mouemeneen, also known as Brigades of Aisha, were responsible for the explosion. In their statement the group accused Hezbollah of being Iranian agents and threatened more attacks. "This is the second time that we decide the time and place of the battle ... And you will see more, God willing,"[2] However Interior MinisterMarwan Charbel and other politicians blamed Israel for the attack.[2]
The bombing came "amid sectarian tensions" over the intervention of Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah against Sunni rebels in theSyrian civil war.[2]A month earliera car bomb injured more than 50 people in the same district.[2] A week later two mosques werebombed inTripoli killing over 40 and injuring hundreds. The Tripoli bombing were thought to be in retaliation for the Beirut bombing.[5]
Political analyst Anno Bunnik has warned that Sunni militants would likely target Hezbollah areas in response to its role in the Syrian Civil War.[6]