BICOM

A car bomb exploded this morning in eastern Lebanon, in what appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks on Hezbollah targets connected to the organisation’s support for President Assad in neighbouring Syria.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that there were a number of casualties after the explosion near the village of Sbouba in the Baalbek region, an area where Hezbollah wields significant control. A car laden with explosives was apparently stopped at a Hezbollah checkpoint and exploded either as a result of a gun battle or deliberate detonation. Local reports said ambulances rushed to the scene, which was quickly closed off by Hezbollah personnel.

There has recently been significant disquiet in Lebanon, especially among the country’s Sunni population, over Hezbollah’s direct support for the Assad regime in Syria. Hezbollah, which is largely bankrolled and trained by the Shi’ite Iranian regime, has fought side by side with Syrian government troops, most notably recapturing the crucial town of Qusair earlier this year. Much of the Syrian opposition forces are comprised of Sunni groups committed to President Assad’s downfall.

This morning’s car bomb would appear to be the latest attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, in an apparent overspill from Syria’s civil war. Deadly car bombs were detonated in Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut in August. Last month a bomb attack struck the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, leaving at least 23 people dead. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an off-shoot of al-Qaeda later took responsibility for the attack, saying that “Operations in Lebanon will continue until […] Iran’s Hezbollah [militants] withdraw from Syria.”

Earlier this month, a senior Hezbollah commander, Hassan al-Laqees, was assassinated outside his home in a Beirut suburb. As yet nobody has taken responsibility for the killing. There are various rumours surround the circumstances of his death, including speculation that al-Laqees was actually killed fighting in Syria.