By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security
The Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon was struck by two suicide bombers killing approximately 23 people and wounding nearly 150 others. Both Iran and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the attack, however the al-Qaeda affiliate Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility. Judging from the damage to the building it appears that both bombers carried a small amount of explosives and detonated their devices outside where people were attempting to enter. The explosions did not cause structural damage to the surrounding builds, but because there were detonated outside in a large group of people the casualty count was high. This suggests that the bombers conducted preoperational surveillance of the target area and decided on the most optimal time to strike the target. Strangely, Hezbollah does control security in the area around the embassy and it is interesting that these bombers were able to get so close with their vehicles.
Just days before the attack Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah stated that his forces would remain in Syria for the duration of the conflict. This dedication has led Sunni groups in the region to actively target Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, but it will also likely lead to targeting in Iraq and beyond. In the last year the Assad regime has retaken a significant share of rebel held territory which will lead the rebel movements, expecially those with international ties, to expand their operations against Assad supporters in Syria and the wider region. For instance, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades does have close ties to al-Nursa Front in Syria, not to mention other Sunni jihadist groups, and this will likely result in intelligence sharing and cooperation in the various theaters of combat. These al-Qaeda affiliates have the experience, funding, and personnel to carry out a wider variety of attacks, so the expansion of operations should occur in the near term. All told, this attack is a harbinger of things to come in an increasingly competitive region.
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