Thousands attend funeral for victims of Beirut attacks

Thousands of Lebanese have attended a funeral ceremony in southern Beirut for the victims of twin bomb attacks by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

Schools and universities were shut Friday as people gathered in Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahieh to mourn the victims of the deadly attacks a day before, where 44 people died.

Mourners waved the portraits of the victims as they expressed rage at the Takfiri groups’ attacks on Lebanon’s Shia and Sunni population.

The Takfiri terrorist group Daesh, operating in Syria and Iraq, claimed the twin attacks on Thursday, which were carried out near the General Security Post in Hussaineya Street in Borj al-Barajneh neighborhood. Nearly 240 people were also injured in the attacks, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

The Lebanese government declared Friday as a day of national mourning and condemned the attacks as “unjustifiable.” Prime Minister Tammam Salam also called for unity against “plans to create strife” in the country.

The National News Agency said Salam held an urgent security meeting Friday on the bombings.

A statement after the meeting called for intensification of security measures in all Lebanese regions, adding, “Terrorism has never ceased planning to inflict harm and trigger strife in Lebanon.”

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, which is prominent in Dahieh, has vowed to press ahead with its battle against terrorists, a mention to the group’s active contribution to an ongoing operation by Syrian government against militants of Daesh and other groups operating in the war-torn country.

International condemnations poured in over the attacks with the United Nations (UN)’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemning it and saying the perpetrators must be “brought to justice.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari denounced the bombings on Thursday, expressing hope that the Lebanese people, Hezbollah and the army will stand united against terrorism.

Read the view of Lebanon's former President Emile Lahoud on the plight of Lebanon here.

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