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 army cordoned off the area of the attack and searched for possible accomplices Reuters

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

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
Sex offender ‘manipulating’ system to stay in the UK as ‘Christian’ asylum seeker
Sex offender ‘manipulating’ system to stay in the UK as ‘Christian’ asylum seeker

Immigration judges found his history of sexual offences did not invalidate his claim to Christian conversion

Disappointment as St Albans council votes to end prayers before meetings
Disappointment as St Albans council votes to end prayers before meetings

A local Christian leader in the city of St Albans has criticized a vote by the council to scrap prayers before official meetings.

Who was St Joseph and what do we know about him?
Who was St Joseph and what do we know about him?

The 19th of March is St Joseph’s Day, which in some countries is known as Father’s Day, but who was St Joseph and what do we know about him? This is the story …

Calls for urgent policy reforms to address widening marriage gap between rich and poor
Calls for urgent policy reforms to address widening marriage gap between rich and poor

A new report released by the Marriage Foundation has called for urgent policy changes by the government to address what it describes as a "calamitous" marriage gap of 51 per cent between wealthy and low-income couples.