Ban Ki-moon Condemns Iran Embassy Attack In Beirut

UN, Nov 20, IRNA – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the twin suicide bombings that targeted the Iranian Embassy in Beirut Tuesday and urged the Lebanese to understand that Lebanon as a whole was the target of such crimes. “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist bombing near the Iranian embassy,” Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement. The UN chief also extended his condolences to the families of the victims as well as to the Lebanese and Iranian governments. Two suicide bombers attacked Iran’s mission in the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan in the morning hours of Tuesday, killing 25 people including the Iranian cultural attaché and wounded over 150, including the innocent passersby people. “The Secretary-General calls on all in Lebanon to recognize that such appalling and indiscriminate acts of violence target all in Lebanon,” the statement said. “He urges all Lebanese parties to act with restraint and to support the institutions of the state, and particularly the security forces, as they seek to prevent further acts of terrorism,” it added. Ban also expressed hope that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice “expeditiously.” The UN leader also reiterated the international community’s determination to support Lebanon’s security and stability. Two explosions near the Iranian embassy in Beirut have killed at least 23 people, wounded more than 150, including an Iranian diplomat, and caused extensive damage to one of Lebanon's most heavily guarded buildings. The attack shattered more than two months of relative calm in Lebanon and was cast by some officials as another spillover from the devastating war in neighboring Syria. One of the explosions is thought to have targeted a convoy arriving at the embassy, which contained the late Iranian Cultural Attaché Ebrahim Ansari. Ghazanfar Rokanabadi, Iran's ambassador to Lebanon, confirmed Ansari's death. Lebanese officials also said he had been killed. Among those killed there were embassy guards, who eyewitnesses said had tried to stop a suicide bomber riding a motorbike near the buildings gates, which were destroyed in the attack./end