A Lebanese al-Qaida-linked group, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which claimed responsibility in the past for similar attacks to one that rocked the southern Beirut suburb last night , warned Hezbollah supporters that they will not live in safety as long as the Iranian-backed group continues to take part in the Syrian civil war.
Sirajuddin Zurayqat, a spokesman of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, said in an audio released Tuesday: “You will not enjoy living safely until security returns to the people of Syria and Lebanon.”
He did not directly claim responsibility for the latest attacks but said “our strikes against you will continue as long as your presence in Syria continues.”
“Hezbollah’s battle is no longer solely with us, but with the Sunnis in Syria and Lebanon,” Zurayqat also stressed Tuesday on his Twitter account.
His comments come after a suicide bombing in a southern Beirut neighborhood killed a security officer and wounded 25 people, officials said Tuesday.
The overnight attack — the second such bombing this week — heightened fears that Lebanon was reverting to a cycle of violence after a few months of respite.
Syria’s civil war has spilled into neighboring Lebanon on multiple occasions and inflamed sectarian tensions. A series of car bombs have struck Shiite areas across Lebanon, killing dozens of people.
But Lebanon recently saw a lull in spillover attacks. Until last Friday, the last major explosion to hit Lebanon was on March 29, when a suicide bomber in an explosives-laden car targeted a Lebanese army checkpoint near the Syrian border, killing three people.
Hard-line Sunni groups have claimed responsibility for the attacks against Shiite areas, saying they are meant to punish the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement for its involved in the Syrian civil war, where predominantly Sunni rebels are fighting to topple Assad.
Associated Press/YL
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