Lebanon: 5 dead as Christian village targeted by multiple suicide attacks

A predominantly Christian village in Lebanon has been hit by a series of devastating suicide attacks.

At least five people have been killed and 15 wounded after four bombers blew themselves up in the village of Qaa, near the border with Syria. It is not clear what was the target of the attack, nor who was responsible.

The first bomb was detonated outside a house at 0420 local time (0120 GMT) and three others quickly followed, exploding their vests as people gathered in the road near the first explosion, according to Lebanon's official National News Agency.

The national news site said the army has cordoned off the area and was searching for accomplices. They said the explosions happened 150m from the Lebanese customs point, on the border with Syria. The road links the Syrian town of Qusair with the fertile Beqaa valley in Lebanon.

"Qaa is the gateway to the rest of Lebanon, and here we stopped a plan for a much bigger explosion," mayor Bashir Matar told the AFP news agency.

"We chased the fourth attacker and shot at him, and he blew himself up."

He told the Voice of Lebanon radio station that four of the dead were civilians and the army has said four soldiers were among the wounded.

The Shia military group Hezbollah, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, owns the Al-Manar TV station which has blamed ISIS for the attack.

related articles
Religion in Israel: Muslims more devout than Jews or Christians
Religion in Israel: Muslims more devout than Jews or Christians

Religion in Israel: Muslims more devout than Jews or Christians

Ramadan around the world: In pictures

Ramadan around the world: In pictures

Syrian refugee children hearing the Gospel at Bible camp
Syrian refugee children hearing the Gospel at Bible camp

Syrian refugee children hearing the Gospel at Bible camp

Christians and Muslims must keep living together in the Middle East, say Eastern Catholic bishops
Christians and Muslims must keep living together in the Middle East, say Eastern Catholic bishops

Christians and Muslims must keep living together in the Middle East, say Eastern Catholic bishops

News
Between two cultures: an Afghan Christian in the Netherlands
Between two cultures: an Afghan Christian in the Netherlands

Esther*, who was born in Afghanistan and raised in the Netherlands after her family fled the country when she was three, speaks to Christian Today about her journey of faith, life between two cultures, and her hopes and fears for Afghanistan’s future.

The groundbreaking BBC series that brought Jesus to TV screens
The groundbreaking BBC series that brought Jesus to TV screens

Seventy years ago, in February 1956, the BBC aired the mini-series “Jesus of Nazareth”, which was the first filming of the life of Jesus to be created for television. This is the story …

Christians mobilised to oppose extreme abortion law changes
Christians mobilised to oppose extreme abortion law changes

Christians are being asked to urge peers to support amendments tabled by Baronesses Monckton and Stroud.

Thousands of Christians return to churches in north-east Nigeria despite years of terror
Thousands of Christians return to churches in north-east Nigeria despite years of terror

The faithful are returning “in their thousands, not hundreds” despite more than a decade of brutal violence.