Bomb Kills 1, Injures 23 in Beirut District
A powerful bomb exploded in a Christian neighborhood of East Beirut late Friday, killing at least one person and wounding 23, officials said.
The bomb, detonated just before midnight, heavily damaged the balconies and facades of several buildings and destroyed at least two cars.
Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi, commander of the Internal Security Forces, said the bomb had been placed in a bag hidden between two cars.
The blast occurred several days before a U.N. investigator’s expected visit to Damascus to interview top Syrian officials about the deadliest of a recent string of bombings in Lebanon: the Feb. 14 attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 19 others.
Syria controlled Lebanon for years and had troops in the country for 29 years, until April, when it withdrew them amid international pressure and massive Lebanese protests over the assassination of Hariri.
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