BEIRUT: High profile officials Sunday condemned a suicide attack that targeted a crowded cafe in the northern city of Tripoli over the weekend, killing at least nine and wounding over 30. The incident prompted Lebanese and international leaders to call for a wider national dialogue.
The bombing is the first serious security incident after the implementation of a security plan in June 2014 which ended years of recurrent clashes between the Alawite neighborhood of Jabal Mohsen and the Sunni-dominated Bab al-Tabbaneh. Following are the reactions of key officials.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam:The prime minister urged Tripoli’s residents to support the Lebanese Army and security forces and stressed on the need to thwart future attempts to sow strife.
“Terrorism will not stop, not in Lebanon or outside Lebanon,” Salam told The Daily Star. He stressed that terrorism could only be fought through Lebanese unity. “The aim of this operation is [to create] strife between Lebanese, but their goal will not be reached,” he said.
Future Movement:Former prime ministers Saad Hariri and Fouad Siniora strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Tripoli. Hariri described the incident as a “crime” aimed at causing confusion, fueling discord and destabilizing Tripoli, particularly after the Lebanese Army succeeded in halting violence in the northern capital.
“This heinous terrorist crime requires concerted efforts from all Lebanese, who should strongly support the Lebanese Army and the security forces as they take the required measures to preserve security, arrest the perpetrators and all those behind them, and bring them to justice,” Hariri said.
Siniora said terrorism was like an “epidemic” moving from one place to another. “We have to fight it with Lebanese unity,” Siniora said in a statement. He called on Lebanese to rally behind the government and its security bodies. “Otherwise, this epidemic will reach everyone.”
Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said the attack was “a monstrous assault on [both] the residents of Jabal Mohsen and all the Lebanese.” He added that Lebanese would “thwart such assaults through unity and solidarity.”
Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi vowed that those behind the “unacceptable and condemned” act would be pursued by the full force of the law. In a statement, Rifi said he would ask Cabinet to refer the case to the Judicial Council along with other terrorist attacks so that “those responsible will be pursued and tried by the judiciary.”
Hezbollah:The party denounced the attack as a “horrific crime,” adding that it was caused by “criminal takfiri ideology which does not discriminate between location, sect or country.” In a statement by the party’s media office, Hezbollah said the attack indicated that “takfiri” groups were “bothered” by the ongoing dialogue between the Future Movement and the resistance.
The party called on all Lebanese groups to “alienate” terrorist groups which are a threat to Lebanon and its Muslim community. It also called on citizens to “strengthen cooperation with the Lebanese Army, security agencies and the government’s institutions,” in its war against terrorism.
Derian:Following the attack, Lebanon’s grand mufti stressed that “religious and national unity would stand in the face of strife.” Derian described the attack as “criminal and terrorist,” calling on Lebanese to stand behind the Army and security forces as they are “carrying out their national duty by preserving stability and security across the country.”
Qabalan:The deputy head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Abdel-Amir Qabalan said that “terrorism has carried out a new massacre with the aim of taking as many lives as possible to fuel strife.”
Through national solidarity, terrorism would not gain a foothold in Lebanon, he said.
Jumblatt:Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt said the terrorist threat was looming over Lebanon, but added that the Lebanese Army was fully capable of safeguarding the country.
The PSP leader called on the residents of Tripoli to “stand united” against terrorism.
Rifaat Eid:The secretary-general of the Arab Democratic Party paid his condolences to the victims who died in the attack. “The bombing came as a gift from the vandals and blood-suckers,” Eid said in a television interview. He emphasized his support for Syria and Hezbollah. “Dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement taking place doesn’t mean that everything in Lebanon will be solved,” Eid cautioned.
Geagea:Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea asked the judicial and security authorities to follow up on the attack and hold those responsible accountable. “Any security incident that affects Lebanese on Lebanese territory affects all Lebanese,” Geagea said.
Sleiman:Former President Michel Sleiman stressed the need to unify efforts to combat terrorism, adding that Tripoli had its fair share of painful bloody experiences. Sleiman said that terrorism would not “succeed in dragging Tripoli and the residents of Tripoli into strife, which only serves Lebanon’s enemies,” adding that he hoped Future-Hezbollah talks would ease tensions.
Arslan:Lebanese Democratic Party leader Talal Arslan said that the attack “targeted the idea of dialogue.” Arslan stressed that Lebanon can’t rely on external forces “because Lebanon’s interest prevails above all only with national unity.”
United States: The State Department statement said the United States expresses its sympathies to the victims’ families, and wishes a full recovery to those who were wounded. The U.S. will continue its “strong support for the Lebanese security forces as they protect the Lebanese people, combat violent extremists, and preserve Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty and security,” it added.Iran:Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said that perpetrators of the “ominous act” have targeted Lebanon’s unity, solidarity and stability.
She also offered condolences to the Lebanese government and nation and the bereaved families of the victims.
“We are confident that Lebanon’s vigilant officials and leaders and political groups will thwart the plots hatched by the ill-wishers for creating a rift among them, through strengthened unity and national dialogue,” Afkham added.
Syria:Syrian Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul-Karim Ali expressed solidarity with Lebanon in the wake of the suicide bombing in Jabal Mohsen. “There’s a benefit for everyone in fighting terrorism and this doesn’t exclude its supporters and those who nurtured it and observed what happened on Sept.11, 2001, in Europe, the Gulf and Turkey.”
Arab League:Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby praised the “positions and wisdom” of Lebanese leaders after the attack and the role played by the Lebanese Army and security bodies, stressing that the attack aimed at destabilizing the country.
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