2005 Lebanon bombings
Encyclopedia
Post-Lahoud Term Extension=
In recent years, a series of bombings and assassinations have struck Lebanon
, most of them occurring in and around the capital, Beirut
. This wave of bombings began with the assassination attempt of Mr. Marwan Hmade, then heated up with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005, which touched off the Cedar Revolution
and the withdrawal of Syria
n troops. After the massive protests following Hariri's killing, several more bombings hit Lebanon.
These bombings and assassinations came after September 2004, when the Lebanese Parliament was forced to extend the term of Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, a move that was unconstitutional. The MPs, journalists, and activists that opposed this term extension were then subject to a series of slander campaigns and eventually assassinations attempts.
exploded next to the motorcade carrying Druze
MP
Marwan Hamadeh. Hamadeh was injured, but survived; his driver was killed. Hamadeh had been a critic of Syria and was a member of the opposition to President Émile Lahoud
.
A massive explosion on February 14, 2005, killed former Lebanese Prime Minister
Rafiq Hariri in Beirut
, near the St. George Hotel. Also killed was the former Minister of the Economy, Bassel Fleihan
, and 19 other people. About 220 others were wounded.
A group calling itself "The Nasra & Jihad Group in Greater Syria" claimed responsibility for the blast. The group had not been heard from before. A tape aired by Al Jazeera
showed a bearded man, believed to be a Palestinian
named Ahmad Abu Adas, claiming the attack. Adas' apartment was raided but he remains missing; however, it is now thought he was forced to admit to the plot and was killed by those who planned the assassination.
According to the United Nations
report by Detlev Mehlis
, released October 20, 2005, the blast was the result of a truck bomb. A security camera captured a white Mitsubishi
truck driving near Hariri's convoy moments before the blast; investigators determined this truck carried the explosives, estimated at 1,000 kg. Since Hariri's convoy had jamming devices meant to block remote control
signals, the attack was carried out using a suicide bomber. The report cited a witness who said the bomber was an Iraq
i who was led to believe his target was Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi
, who had been in Beirut just days before.
The report concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese officials planned the assassination beginning in mid-2004.
hall, and was turned away, so he parked it next to an apartment.
s, two India
ns and a Pakistan
i, were killed, and two Sri Lankans and two Lebanese were injured. The roof of the mall collapsed.
village, 20 km (12.4 mi) east of Beirut. Twelve people were injured.
and the Mar Yuhanna Church in Jounieh
. The radio station was destroyed and the church suffered major damage. Twenty-two people were wounded.
was assassinated on June 2 when a bomb detonated in his car outside his home in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district, a largely Christian residential area. Kassir was a front-page columnist for the al-Nahar newspaper, where he wrote columns criticizing the pro-Syrian regime.
, former Lebanese Communist Party
leader and a critic of Syria, died when his car exploded as he was driving through Beirut's Wata Musaitbi district on June 21.
, as his motorcade drove through Beirut's Christian suburb of Antelias on July 12. Two people were killed and injuring 12 others. This attack was unique in the series of bombings in that Murr was considered a pro-Syrian figure.
.
.
was seriously injured when a bomb exploded as she got into her car in Jounieh on September 25. She lost her left leg and arm. Chidiac was an anchor
on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
.
, was killed by a car bomb on December 12. He had returned from France
only a day earlier, where he had been staying for fear of assassination. Two other people were killed—his driver and a passerby—when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut. Another 30 people were wounded in the bombing, and at least 10 vehicles were destroyed .
On December 28, 2005 Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar said it had received a statement signed by "The Strugglers for the Unity and Freedom in al-Sham," the group that claimed responsibility for the death of its former editor Gibran Tueni with a car bomb on December 12. The statement said outgoing UNIIIC chairman Mehlis
was lucky to escape death and threatened any new chairman with assassination if he too implicated Syria.
, anti-Syrian MP, son of Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel, nephew of assassinated President Bashir Gemayyel, and Minister of Industry at the time was shot dead in Beirut on November 21, 2006.
, another anti-Syrian MP, was killed by a car bomb on June 13, 2007, along with eight others, including his eldest son Khaled Eido.
and four others were killed in a car bomb attack in a Christian suburb of Beirut on September 19, 2007.
from the village of Rmaich was killed in a car bomb attack in Baabda, along with three other people, on December 12, 2007.
politician of the Lebanese Democratic Party
, Saleh Aridi, was killed in a car bomb on September 10, 2008.
, also known as Kamal Medhat, was the deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon and a former Fatah intelligence chief in the country. He was killed by a roadside bomb while visiting a refugee camp to calm recent violence.
In recent years, a series of bombings and assassinations have struck Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, most of them occurring in and around the capital, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. This wave of bombings began with the assassination attempt of Mr. Marwan Hmade, then heated up with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005, which touched off the Cedar Revolution
Cedar Revolution
The Cedar Revolution or Independence Intifada was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.The primary goals of the original activists were the...
and the withdrawal of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n troops. After the massive protests following Hariri's killing, several more bombings hit Lebanon.
These bombings and assassinations came after September 2004, when the Lebanese Parliament was forced to extend the term of Pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, a move that was unconstitutional. The MPs, journalists, and activists that opposed this term extension were then subject to a series of slander campaigns and eventually assassinations attempts.
Marwan Hamadeh assassination attempt
On October 1, 2004, a car bombCar bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
exploded next to the motorcade carrying Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Marwan Hamadeh. Hamadeh was injured, but survived; his driver was killed. Hamadeh had been a critic of Syria and was a member of the opposition to President Émile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
.
Rafiq Hariri assassination
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Rafiq Hariri in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, near the St. George Hotel. Also killed was the former Minister of the Economy, Bassel Fleihan
Bassel Fleihan
Bassel Fleihan was a Lebanese legislator and Minister of Economy and Commerce. He died from injuries sustained when a massive bomb exploded on the Beirut seafront as he passed by in former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri's motorcade on February 14, 2005. 20 other people, including Hariri,...
, and 19 other people. About 220 others were wounded.
A group calling itself "The Nasra & Jihad Group in Greater Syria" claimed responsibility for the blast. The group had not been heard from before. A tape aired by Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
showed a bearded man, believed to be a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
named Ahmad Abu Adas, claiming the attack. Adas' apartment was raided but he remains missing; however, it is now thought he was forced to admit to the plot and was killed by those who planned the assassination.
According to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
report by Detlev Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis is currently the Senior Public Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General in Berlin. He has 30 years of prosecutorial experience and has led numerous investigations into serious, complex transnational crimes...
, released October 20, 2005, the blast was the result of a truck bomb. A security camera captured a white Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
truck driving near Hariri's convoy moments before the blast; investigators determined this truck carried the explosives, estimated at 1,000 kg. Since Hariri's convoy had jamming devices meant to block remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
signals, the attack was carried out using a suicide bomber. The report cited a witness who said the bomber was an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i who was led to believe his target was Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi
Iyad Allawi
Ayad Allawi is an Iraqi politician, and was the interim Prime Minister of Iraq prior to Iraq's 2005 legislative elections. A prominent Iraqi political activist who lived in exile for almost 30 years, the politically secular Shia Muslim became a member of the Iraq Interim Governing Council, which...
, who had been in Beirut just days before.
The report concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese officials planned the assassination beginning in mid-2004.
New Jdeideh bombing
A car bomb exploded in the New Jdeideh suburb of Beirut on March 19, 2005. The blast happened in a part-commercial, part-residential area, and wounded eleven people. Reports said that the driver had tried to park it in front of a bingoBingo (US)
Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers which players match against numbers that have been pre-printed on 5x5 matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock or electronically represented and are referred to as cards. Many versions conclude the game when the first...
hall, and was turned away, so he parked it next to an apartment.
Kaslik bombing
On March 23, a bomb left in a leather bag exploded at the back entrance of the Kaslik shopping center in Jounieh. Three janitorJanitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
s, two India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns and a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i, were killed, and two Sri Lankans and two Lebanese were injured. The roof of the mall collapsed.
Sad el-Bouchrieh bombing
On March 26, a car bomb parked between two factories exploded in the Sad el-Bouchrieh area of Beirut, wounding six people. It caused a blaze which destroyed several workshops.Broummana bombing
On April 1, a bomb ripped through the Rizk plaza in the Broummana resortResort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
village, 20 km (12.4 mi) east of Beirut. Twelve people were injured.
Jounieh bombing
On May 7, a car bomb exploded between the Christian Sawt al Mahaba radio stationRadio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
and the Mar Yuhanna Church in Jounieh
Jounieh
Jounieh is a Mediterranean coastal city about 16 kilometers north of Beirut, Lebanon. Jounieh is known for its seaside resorts, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs, as well as its old stone souk, ferry, and cablecar , which takes passengers up the mountain to the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in...
. The radio station was destroyed and the church suffered major damage. Twenty-two people were wounded.
Samir Kassir assassination
Anti-Syrian journalist Samir KassirSamir Kassir
Samir Kassir was a Lebanese professor of history at Saint-Joseph University and journalist. Born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Kassir received his degree in philosophy and political philosophy in 1984, in 1990, Kassir earned his PhD in Modern History also from the University of...
was assassinated on June 2 when a bomb detonated in his car outside his home in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district, a largely Christian residential area. Kassir was a front-page columnist for the al-Nahar newspaper, where he wrote columns criticizing the pro-Syrian regime.
George Hawi assassination
George HawiGeorge Hawi
George Hawi was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party . He was assassinated in 2005.-Background:...
, former Lebanese Communist Party
Lebanese Communist Party
The Lebanese Communist Party – LCP or Parti communiste libanais in French, is a communist political party in Lebanon...
leader and a critic of Syria, died when his car exploded as he was driving through Beirut's Wata Musaitbi district on June 21.
Elias Murr assassination attempt
A car bomb wounded the outgoing Lebanese defense minister, Elias MurrElias Murr
Elias Murr is the former Lebanese Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. He held the positions of Deputy Prime minister and Interior Minister in previous Cabinets....
, as his motorcade drove through Beirut's Christian suburb of Antelias on July 12. Two people were killed and injuring 12 others. This attack was unique in the series of bombings in that Murr was considered a pro-Syrian figure.
Monot bombing
On July 22, a bomb exploded in a car parked in front of a restaurant on Monot Street in Beirut, wounding twelve people. The bomb was estimated to be 50 lbPound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
.
Zalka bombing
In the mostly Christian neighborhood of Zalka, on August 22, a bomb placed between a shopping center and a hotel damaged shops and windows, wounding eight people. It consisted of 20 to 30 kg of TNT and was set on a timerTimer
A timer is a specialized type of clock. A timer can be used to control the sequence of an event or process. Whereas a stopwatch counts upwards from zero for measuring elapsed time, a timer counts down from a specified time interval, like an hourglass.Timers can be mechanical, electromechanical,...
.
Ali Ramez Tohme attempt
A bomb placed the car of Ali Ramez Tohme, a journalist and president of the Dar al-Haitham for Journalism, Printing and Press, exploded early on September 15 in the area of Mazboud. Tohme was not injured. The motive may have been a recent article by Tohme defending Rafiq Hariri.Jeitawi bombing
An explosion, believed caused by a car bomb, rocked the largely Christian area of Ashrafieh on September 17. One person was killed and 23 injured. Two cars were blown up and buildings near the blast were severely damaged.May Chidiac assassination attempt
Christian journalist and critic of Syria May ChidiacMay Chidiac
May Chidiac is a Lebanese Christian Maronite journalist.Chidiac is a former television journalist at the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation and one of the station's main television anchors until an assassination attempt on her life...
was seriously injured when a bomb exploded as she got into her car in Jounieh on September 25. She lost her left leg and arm. Chidiac was an anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation
The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation , widely known as LBC, is the first private television station in Lebanon. It went global in 1996 when it launched its satellite channel LBC Al-Fadha'iya Al-Lubnaniya covering the Arab World. It now has several channels covering Europe, America, Australia, and...
.
Gebran Tueni Assassination
A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker, Gebran TueniGebran Tueni
Gebran Ghassan Tueni was a Lebanese politician and the former editor and publisher of the mass circulation An-Nahar daily newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon....
, was killed by a car bomb on December 12. He had returned from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
only a day earlier, where he had been staying for fear of assassination. Two other people were killed—his driver and a passerby—when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut. Another 30 people were wounded in the bombing, and at least 10 vehicles were destroyed .
On December 28, 2005 Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar said it had received a statement signed by "The Strugglers for the Unity and Freedom in al-Sham," the group that claimed responsibility for the death of its former editor Gibran Tueni with a car bomb on December 12. The statement said outgoing UNIIIC chairman Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis
Detlev Mehlis is currently the Senior Public Prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General in Berlin. He has 30 years of prosecutorial experience and has led numerous investigations into serious, complex transnational crimes...
was lucky to escape death and threatened any new chairman with assassination if he too implicated Syria.
Pierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine GemayelPierre Amine Gemayel
Pierre Amine Gemayel was a Lebanese politician in the Kataeb Party, better known in English as the Phalange Party. Lebanon's second-youngest MP, he was a rising star in his party...
, anti-Syrian MP, son of Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel, nephew of assassinated President Bashir Gemayyel, and Minister of Industry at the time was shot dead in Beirut on November 21, 2006.
Walid Eido
Walid EidoWalid Eido
Walid Eido was a Lebanese politician and member of the Current for the Future Lebanese political movement and an MP in the Lebanese Parliament. He was also a member of the March 14 Coalition...
, another anti-Syrian MP, was killed by a car bomb on June 13, 2007, along with eight others, including his eldest son Khaled Eido.
Antoine Ghanem assassination
Anti-Syrian Lebanese MP Antoine GhanemAntoine Ghanem
Antoine Ghanem was a Lebanese politician and an MP in the Lebanese Parliament. He was also a member of the Kataeb party and the March 14 Coalition. He was killed on September 19, 2007 in a car bomb explosion in the Sin al-Fil suburb of Beirut...
and four others were killed in a car bomb attack in a Christian suburb of Beirut on September 19, 2007.
Francois Elias Hajj assassination
Brigadier General François al-HajjFrançois al-Hajj
General François al-Hajj was born in the southern Lebanese town of Rmaich. He was assassinated by a car bomb on December 12, 2007.-Military career:...
from the village of Rmaich was killed in a car bomb attack in Baabda, along with three other people, on December 12, 2007.
Wissam Eid assassination
Capt. Wissam Eid, Lebanese Internal Security Forces senior terrorism investigator was assassinated on January 25, 2008. At the time of assassination, Eid was also Top Lebanese Investigator into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.Tripoli bombing
On August 13, 2008, sixteen people, including seven Lebanese soldiers, were killed by a bomb targeting a civilian bus in Tripoli.Saleh Aridi assassination
A pro-Syrian DruzeDruze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
politician of the Lebanese Democratic Party
Lebanese Democratic Party
The Lebanese Democratic Party is a political party in Lebanon established by Prince Talal Arslan in 2001...
, Saleh Aridi, was killed in a car bomb on September 10, 2008.
Second Tripoli bombing
On September 29, 2008, five people, including five soldiers, were killed, and 35 were injured, by a car bomb which destroyed a bus in Tripoli.Kamal Naji assassination
Kamal NajiKamal Naji
Kamal Naji also known as Kamal Medhat was the deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Lebanon and a former Fatah intelligence chief in the country...
, also known as Kamal Medhat, was the deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon and a former Fatah intelligence chief in the country. He was killed by a roadside bomb while visiting a refugee camp to calm recent violence.