Iranian, Lebanese Officials Discuss Recent Terrorist Bombings in Beirut

Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Qazanfar Roknabadi and Lebanese Justice Minister Shakib Qortabawi in a meeting on Tuesday discussed the recent terrorist bombings in front of Tehran’s embassy in Beirut.
During the meeting in Beirut today, the Iranian envoy pointed to a letter by Iranian Justice Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi to his Lebanese counterpart on the dispatch of a judicial team to Lebanon to follow up the November 19 terrorist attack, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has good experiences in combating terrorism and it is ready to exchange these experiences by dispatching a team to see the trend of the follow-up (to the recent bombings).”

The Lebanese justice minister, for his part, welcomed Iran’s proposal to send a team to help Beirut with the investigations into the November 19 terrorist attack, and said, “Mutual cooperation to confront terrorism is seen as a positive move in all countries and the terrorist act in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut was actually an attack on the soil of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

On Tuesday, the Iranian foreign ministry announced that the country will continue pursuing the suspicious death of Majed Al-Majed, the Saudi mastermind of the November bombing in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut.

“The issue is being pursued in the political and legal dimensions and the Islamic Republic reserves its right in this regard and will continue following the case,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said in her weekly press conference in Tehran.

Noting that Iran has voiced readiness to carryout autopsy operations on Majed’s corpse to find the cause of his death, and said, “The basis of our information (on the cause of his death) is the official and precise reports confirmed by the Lebanese officials and not the media reports.”

Afkham said Iran will send a technical and judiciary delegation to Lebanon soon to pursue the case, and added the members of the delegation will verify the authenticity of the released reports on Majed’s death in close cooperation with the Lebanese officials.

On Sunday, members of the Iranian parliament asked the foreign ministry to launch a probe into the suspicious death of Majed who was said to have extensive ties with the Saudi intelligence agency.

“The foreign ministry should investigate the reason for Majed al-Majed’s suspicious death and inform the people of the results,” Seyed Ali Taheri, the representative of the Northern Golestan province, said in an open session of the parliament.

Also Shahbaz Hassanpour, the representative of the Southeastern city of Sirjan, said given the fact that Majed was hired by the Saudi intelligence agency, the foreign ministry should probe and clarify the case.

Last Tuesday, the Lebanese security forces said they have arrested Majed, the Saudi ringleader of Abdullah Izzam Brigade which has claimed responsibility for the November 19 bombings, which left 23 dead, including cultural attaché Ebrahim Ansari.

On Saturday, a Lebanese army General, who spoke on the conditions of anonymity in line with regulations, said Al-Majed died in custody in Lebanon. The General said Al-Majed died on Saturday after suffering kidney failure.

Political analysts believe that the supporters and financers of Abdullah Izzam terrorist group have killed Majed for the fear of the possible revelations he could make against the Saudi Takfiri groups and his masters.

Also, other observers say that the Lebanese security forces had started Majed’s interrogation before his death, but refrained from disclosing their information upon Riyadh’s request.

Al-Majed, a Saudi citizen was detained in Lebanon late last month and had been held at a secret location. Al-Majed was announced as leader of the Brigades in 2012.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades was formed in 2009 and is believed to have branches in both the Arabian Peninsula and Lebanon, but may have been active as early as 2004.

On Thursday, Lebanese sources disclosed that Majed had taken orders from Saudi Spy Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

Lebanese information sources said that they have found information linking Majed al-Majed, the Saudi commander of the al-Qaeda affiliated group Abdullah Azzam Brigades who claimed responsibility for the attack to the Saudi spy chief.

A few hours later on Thursday, the Iranian embassy in Beirut requested access to the investigation into the double suicide bombing.

“The (caretaker) Foreign Ministry received a memo from Iranian authorities in which they asked to stay informed about the investigation with al-Majed, considering that the explosion took place on an Iranian soil,” caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told LBCI television.

For its part, the Lebanese news site Naharnet reported that Roknabadi had announced that an Iranian intelligence delegation had participated in inspecting the scene of the explosion near the embassy in Beirut’s Southern suburbs.

“Both Lebanese and Iranian authorities agreed that Iran will take part in the investigation,” the Iranian ambassador said.

In 2009, Lebanon sentenced Majed in absentia to life in prison for belonging to a different extremist group, the Al-Qaeda-inspired Fatah al-Islam.

On Saturday, senior parliamentary officials in Tehran disclosed that Saudi Arabia had offered to pay $3bln to the Lebanese government in return for the extradition of Al-Majed.

“The Saudi government has considered $3bln for the extradition of the individual behind the Iranian embassy blast in Lebanon, indicating that the remarks he might make are vitally important for the Saudi government,” Vice-Chairman of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour told FNA.

“Saudi Arabia has demanded Lebanon to extradite Majed in return for $3bln,” he reiterated.

Haqiqatpour also underlined that Tehran is entitled to file a lawsuit at the UN against Saudi Arabia because the mid November attack was conducted on the Iranian embassy in Beirut.