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Looming Attacks Grip Lebanon

Following three major bombings since July 9, various Lebanese parties have traded accusations, while the Lebanese speculate regarding a potential future attack.
Relatives carry the coffin of a female victim who died yesterday from the bombs blasts that hit two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli August 24, 2013. Bombs hit two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday, killing at least 42 people and wounding hundreds, intensifying sectarian strife that has spilled over from the civil war in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Rayan al-Turk (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX12V6Z
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These days, Beirut is characterized by a state of panic, with the Lebanese living in fear of random explosions and car bombs that kill innocent people. Following three explosions in a period of about 50 days — killing approximately 70 civilians and injuring more than 600 — the Lebanese have become prisoners of fear and the entire country a hotbed of all kinds of rumors and reactions. In particular, the country is haunted by one question: Where will the next explosion occur?

The recent car bombs in safe, civilian neighborhoods started on the morning of July 9, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an area with a significant Shiite population. A car bomb exploded in a parking lot of a local store. Nearly 50 civilians were injured in the blast, yet no fatalities were recorded.

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