A Lebanese army soldier gestures as he runs near the site of the explosion in Beirut’s downtown area December 27, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Steve Crisp)A powerful car bomb explosion in central Beirut on Friday killed former Lebanese minister Mohamad Chatah, a prominent pro-Western politician and outspoken opponent of Hezbollah and the Syrian Bashar al-Assad regime.
At least five additional people were killed and over 70 wounded in an attack likely to deepen tensions in Lebanon as the ongoing conflict in neighboring Syria spreads.
The car targeted in the bomb blast belonging to Chatah, former finance minister and a senior aide to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri who also served a stint as ambassador to the United States. The explosion created a scene of mayhem in an upscale downtown area.
Chatah, 62, was a member of the pro-West March 14 political coalition, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and strongly opposes Hezbollah and supports the uprising against Syrian President Assad.
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Source: Common Dreams