Hizballah Blames Radical Islamists For Beirut Bombing

A car bomb hit a Hizballah stronghold in Beirut on August 15.

The leader of the Lebanese Shi'ite militant group Hizballah has blamed radical Sunni Islamists for a bombing in Beirut that killed at least 22 people on August 15.

In a televised speech on August 16, Hassan Nasrallah said that Takfiri groups -- a term for Sunni radicals -- were "most likely" behind the attack.

The bombing in a predominantly Shi'ite Beirut suburb also wounded more than 300 people.

Nasrallah said the attack would only reinforce Hizballah's determination to fight in Syria, and said he was ready to go himself if needed.

Hizballah has been fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces against Sunni majority rebels.

The group's involvement in Syria has worsened sectarian tensions between Lebanon's Sunni Muslims and Shi'a.


Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP