Another Car Bomb Rocks Beirut; 19 Die, 100 Hurt

A car packed with 220 pounds of TNT exploded today near a hospital in Christian East Beirut where a Christian leader was recovering from an assassination attempt. Police said 19 people were killed and 100 wounded.

Civil Defense official Elie Honein said the explosive-laden Mercedes-Benz sedan exploded at 10:03 a.m. on a busy street in Dora, near the St. Joseph hospital and opposite a gasoline station, causing huge fires.

The target of the latest in a series of car bomb blasts apparently was the hospital where Fuad abu Nader, the Christian leader who led the fighting against the Lebanese Forces militia headed by Samir Geagea, is hospitalized.

Minister of Health Joseph Hashem visited the hospital and escorted Abu Nader out of the building, police sources said.

Abu Nader was wounded during an assassination attempt Monday, as were nine of his bodyguards.

Police said 19 people were killed in today’s explosion, seven of them burned in their cars. Another 100 were wounded and taken to nearby hospitals.

The blast caused a fire that gutted a five-story building, demolished 45 houses and set dozens of shops and cars ablaze.

Shortly before the blast went off, rival Christian militiamen had taken to the streets following clashes between the Falangist Party and Christian Lebanese Forces during the weekend that killed 10 and wounded 26.