Lebanese army defuses powerful bomb

Lebanese army dismantled 500 kilograms of explosives after discovering the powerful bomb laden in a car in the eastern Bekaa valley, the official National News Agency (NNA) said on Friday. The NAA said military bomb disposal experts defused the huge bomb, made up of explosive materials such as TNT attached to two mortar shells, after locating the rigged four-wheel vehicle near the town of Maqna in the northern region of the plain. A shadowy faction named "Abdullah Azzam Brigades," said to be affiliated with the notorious organization, Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for a fiery bomb blast that occurred outside the Iranian embassy on Tuesday. Twenty-three people died and some 150 others were wounded in the explosion. The country has recently witnessed such incidents, despite relentless efforts by the authorities to maintain security. Meanwhile, the state marked the country's 70th independence anniversary, with a military parade in Beirut's center. The military parade was attended by top leaders, including Minister of Defense of the caretaker government, Fayez Ghoson, who said, "this year's independence anniversary is baptized with blood of the innocent who have fallen in many Lebanese regions. "Lebanon is currently gripped by unprecedented ferocious terrorism and a supernatural power of to confront it." Source: KUNA