2008 Tripoli, Lebanon bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Tripoli Lebanon car bombing occurred on September 29, 2008 in the morning in Tripoli, Lebanon
targeting a military bus carrying soldiers, killing 7 and injuring 30 people. Lebanese officials said the blast came after a car parked by a busy roadside was detonated by remote control.
The attacks came on the heels of another in the city the preceding August; that attack killed 15 people including 10 soldiers. Two days previous came another attack, this one a bombing in neighbouring Syria
. There was a quick chorus of condemnation and denunciation from local politicians, who said it was targeted at the army. Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati
told a local radio station,
"This is a direct targeting of the military institution."
(ADP) of the city's Alawite community. ADP is a part of the opposition, and has close links to the Alawite-dominated regime in Damascus.
A formal reconciliation was reached in September, 2008, between the feuding factions in north Lebanon.
Rifaat Eid, the son of the leader
of the ADP, accused Saudi Arabia of funding Salafi jihadists in north Lebanon, blaming them for the violence. "The Salafis are like kittens when they are weak, but when they are strong they are like tigers." Salafist leaders in Tripoli insisted that the threat of jihadist militancy is exaggerated.
Sheikh Omar Bakri, a Salafist preacher, said "They say we are fanatics and cite what is happening in Iraq, but this is just propaganda to weaken the Sunnis in Lebanon."
In August, Bashar al-Assad
, the Syrian President, gave warning that Islamic extremists were destabilising north Lebanon. Later, at the beginning of September, thousands of Syrian troops deployed along the north Lebanon border, triggering fears in Beirut of a possible military incursion.
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
targeting a military bus carrying soldiers, killing 7 and injuring 30 people. Lebanese officials said the blast came after a car parked by a busy roadside was detonated by remote control.
The attacks came on the heels of another in the city the preceding August; that attack killed 15 people including 10 soldiers. Two days previous came another attack, this one a bombing in neighbouring Syria
2008 Damascus car bombing
The 2008 Damascus car bombing is a car bombing that occurred on September 27, 2008 in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The explosion left 17 people dead and 14 injured. It was reported that a car, laden with 200 kilograms of explosives detonated in the Sidi Kadad suburb of the capital, at...
. There was a quick chorus of condemnation and denunciation from local politicians, who said it was targeted at the army. Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati
Najib Mikati
Najib Azmi Mikati is a Lebanese politician, billionaire and is the current Prime Minister of Lebanon since 13 June 2011. From April 2005 to July 2005 he was Prime Minister of Lebanon in a caretaker government...
told a local radio station,
"This is a direct targeting of the military institution."
Background
Beginning in May, Tripoli saw some of its worst sectarian battles, pitting Sunni groups which support the Western-backed Lebanese Government against the Arab Democratic PartyArab Democratic Party (Lebanon)
The Arab Democratic Party – ADP or Parti Démocratique Arabe in French, is a Lebanese party, based in Tripoli. Its current leader is Ali Eid.- Origins :...
(ADP) of the city's Alawite community. ADP is a part of the opposition, and has close links to the Alawite-dominated regime in Damascus.
A formal reconciliation was reached in September, 2008, between the feuding factions in north Lebanon.
Rifaat Eid, the son of the leader
Ali Eid
Ali Eid is the leader of the Lebanese Arab Democratic Party.-Life:Ali Eid was born in Tibani, Tripoli, Lebanon. The eldest son of Youssef Eid, a wheat dealer, and his wife Amoun Eid, he began his studies at Tibbineh Boys School known as the American School. In the summer he would study at the...
of the ADP, accused Saudi Arabia of funding Salafi jihadists in north Lebanon, blaming them for the violence. "The Salafis are like kittens when they are weak, but when they are strong they are like tigers." Salafist leaders in Tripoli insisted that the threat of jihadist militancy is exaggerated.
Sheikh Omar Bakri, a Salafist preacher, said "They say we are fanatics and cite what is happening in Iraq, but this is just propaganda to weaken the Sunnis in Lebanon."
In August, Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, the Syrian President, gave warning that Islamic extremists were destabilising north Lebanon. Later, at the beginning of September, thousands of Syrian troops deployed along the north Lebanon border, triggering fears in Beirut of a possible military incursion.