Four suicide bombers targeted Monday at dawn the border village of al-Qaa, near the customs center, leaving several killed and injured.
Red Cross Secretary General George Kettani told LBCI that five people were killed and 15 other were wounded, including 4 critically injured in al-Qaa explosions.
“Further investigations are underway in order to figure out where they were really intending to go,” the source added.
The Lebanese Armed Forces chief General Jean Kahwaji inspected the scene of the attack and left without making any statement. He visited the area while a military helicopter flew over the town.
State’s Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the military police and the Lebanese Armed Forces Intelligence Directorate with launching investigations into the attack.
He also tasked the Criminal Evidence teams with Lifting fingerprints to conduct DNA testing and reveal the identities of the suicide bombers who implemented the attack.
In turn, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour called on all the hospitals in the region to receive all injured in the blasts and provide them with the necessary treatments at the expense of the Health Ministry.
Consequently, army units deployed across the village, and called on the people to remain inside their houses.
Speaking from the scene of the attack, al-Qaa’s Mayor Bashir Matar expressed fear that Mashari al-Qaa could turn into a second scene of “Nahr al-Bared battle,” calling on the Lebanese government to put an end to the chaos in the region.
He added that terrorist groups should not be allowed to undermine the town of al-Qaa and Lebanon in general.
Baalbek Archbishop Elias Rahal told LBCI that the government must assume its responsibility across the Lebanese regions, mainly in al-Qaa; adding that the Lebanese army must be granted complete freedom.
For his part, MP Emile Rahal stressed that Lebanon’s power lies in the trilogy of people, army and resistance.
In turn, the town’s deputy Mayor Dani Awad recounted the details of the incident, noting that “one of the terrorists passed by Mayor Bashir Matar while he was rescuing one of the victims and when he recognized him as a suicide bomber he shot him, this is when he detonated himself.”
In a statement to LBCI, Awad called on the Lebanese authorities to take action and protect the town of al-Qaa from the terrorists.
Public works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter, who was present at the scene of the explosions, said that Lebanon is a target for the terrorists, noting that “today al-Qaa has paid a price for all the Lebanese people.”
The minister stressed that the capabilities of the Lebanese army must be enhanced on all the required levels.
Details of the attack:
In the details, sources told LBCI that the explosions took place between the Lebanese customs point and St. Elias Church inside the eastern border town of al-Qaa.
According to the sources, at 4:00 am on Monday, the family of the citizen Talal Moqalled felt a strange movement in the vicinity of their house. Talal’s son went out to inquire but found four suicide bombers in the backyard of the house, one of whom claimed to be one of the Lebanese army intelligence members.
Following a dispute, an exchange of fire erupted between the citizen and one of the gunmen who threw a hand grenade in his direction.
Consequently, other residents rushed to the scene where the first suicide bomber detonated himself between the crowds, leaving casualties. The other explosions went off consecutively.
Security forces revealed to LBCI that the preliminary theory suggests that the region of al-Qaa was not the actual target of the four suicide bombers, adding that there was a possibility of targeting two buses transporting army members.
The Lebanese Armed Forces statement:
The Lebanese Armed Forces Command issued a statement whereby it detailed to course of the attack, where it said that “at 04:20 am on Monday, a terrorist wearing an explosive belt in the eastern border town of al-Qaa detonated himself outside the house of a citizen, and then he was followed by three other terrorists who detonated themselves consecutively along the road nearby said house. The attacks left a number of citizens dead and other injured, including four army members who were among the patrols that rushed to the scene of the first explosion.
Consequently, the Lebanese army cordoned off the area and kicked off a wide search operation in the own and its vicinity to look for suspects, while the military police teams kicked off investigations into the attack.
The Army Command clarified that each of the explosive belts, which were used by the suicide bombers, weighed two kilograms.