Multiple suicide bombings target Christian village in Lebanon leaving 5 dead, 15 injured

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Multiple suicide bomb attacks rocked a village in northeastern Lebanon near the Syrian border, leaving five dead and at least 15 others wounded.

Lebanese army soldiers and forensic inspectors inspect the site where suicide bomb attacks took place in the Christian village of Qaa, in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon June 27, 2016. | Reuters/Hassan Abdallah

The village of Al-Qaa was attacked by four suicide bombers on Monday, June 27. The village is predominantly inhabited by Christians, although an area in the village called Masharia Qaa is mostly Sunni Muslim.

One of the attackers attempted to enter a person's home, but when he sensed the person's suspicion, he blew himself up at the door.

When people started to flock to the explosion site, the other bombers blew themselves up one after another, shouting "Allahu Akbar." They killed and injured more people including four soldiers who went near the area to investigate what happened.

The state-run National News Agency said the explosions occurred next to a church.

The blasts occurred on the road that connects the Bekaa Valley to the town of Qusair in Syria. They were about 150 meters away from a Lebanese customs point.

"Qaa is the gateway to the rest of Lebanon, and here we stopped a plan for a much bigger explosion," mayor Bashir Matar told the AFP as reported by the BBC. "We chased the fourth attacker and shot at him, and he blew himself up."

Al-Manar TV, which is run by Hezbollah, claimed ISIS is behind the attack. However, ISIS has not confirmed whether it is behind the bombings.

Authorities have yet to determine what or who the attackers were targeting specifically.

Lebanese authorities have cordoned off the blast site. They are investigating possible links to the people who helped the attackers. Syrian refugees, on the other hand, have established a camp next to Al-Qaa.

The Al-Qaa village is no stranger to armed conflict. Being a border town, it is a place where Lebanese soldiers often fight ISIS and Al-Qaeda forces.

The Lebanese Army Command-Orientation Directorate has instructed the villagers to avoid gathering in large groups.

"The Army Command calls upon the locals of Qaa village not to gather anywhere in the said region. We also urge them to abide by the security measures imposed by the LAF, for their own safety," it said in a statement.