Two Suicide Car-Bombers Take 15 Lives in Lebanon
Two cars driven by suicide bombers exploded within 15 minutes of each other at the entrance to Israel’s “security zone” in southern Lebanon today, killing as many as 15 people, military sources said.
Most of the victims were Lebanese civilians and troops of the Israeli-backed South Lebanon Army (SLA), but two Israeli soldiers were among the wounded, the military command said.
One of the cars exploded at an SLA checkpoint near Hasbaya at the northeastern edge of the zone. Two SLA soldiers and 13 Lebanese civilians were killed, the sources said.
The sources said the male driver of the vehicle had approached the Hasbaya checkpoint to show his papers when he suddenly ran back to the car and detonated the bomb.
The second car exploded at an SLA checkpoint near Ras al-Biyadeh, six miles north of the Israeli border on the Mediterranean coast. The driver of the vehicle, believed to be a woman, was killed. Two Israeli soldiers were reported wounded in the attack.
The two explosions were the most serious attacks on SLA targets since Israel announced completion of its withdrawal from Lebanon a month ago.
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