Bomb explodes at Arab Tawhid Party office in Chouf

A bomb exploded Friday outside a Chouf office of the Arab Tawhid Party on the day it was due to open, wounding one person. The 600-gram bomb exploded at 1 a.m. outside the office in Baqaata, which was to be inaugurated Friday, security sources told The Daily Star. The bomb, consisting of three sticks of dynamite, was on the steps to the first floor where the office is located. The injured person was a resident of a nearby building, according to a statement from the party. The blast caused significant material damage to the office and shattered the windows of nearby houses, the statement added. The Arab Tawhid Party is headed by former Minister Wiam Wahhab. Hours after the explosion, the party condemned the bombing, which it described in a statement as “cowardly” and as “carrying the fingerprints of crime and professional terrorism.” “The bombing will not deter [the party] from its political movement, which believes in a diverse democracy and freedom, which the Constitution ensures,” the statement said, adding that the office will still open but had to be postponed due to the death of the head of the Druze Spiritual Council, Sheikh Abu Mohammad Jawad Walieddine. The party also called for unity in the Chouf and for the need to support those positions that are against “the hegemonic projects aimed at dividing the community, liquidating the Palestinian cause and obscuring the national and pan-Arab identity of the Druze.” Hezbollah and other parties condemned the bombing. “Hezbollah ... finds [the bomb’s] goals and timing suspicious, and expresses solidarity with our brothers in the Arab Tawhid Party in facing this attack.” The Progressive Socialist Party, led by MP Walid Jumblatt, condemned the incident. Beirut MP Nuhad Mashnouq from the Future Movement denounced the explosion, describing it as an “attack on freedom of expression.” According to the Tawhid Party, Prime Minister Mikati telephoned Wahhab and condemned the explosion, confirming that “the Higher Relief Committee will survey the damage caused by the explosion and compensate those harmed.” Other political figures also condemned the attack.