Syria slams tacit accusations of role in Lebanon’s blast

Syrian Minister of Information Omran al-Zoubi slammed Friday some voices in Lebanon that tacitly pointed the finger of accusation toward Syria regarding a blast that rocked downtown Beirut and killed former Lebanese Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah.

Shatah, a member of the Lebanese March 14 Coalition, was killed alongside another five people earlier in the day in a car bombing in downtown Beirut that also injured 70 others.

Soon afterward, Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora demanded a probe into the attack and made remarks tacitly pointing fingers to the Syrian administration.

“I announce to the Lebanese with deep regret the passing of our martyred hero Dr. Mohammad Shatah who was killed this morning by criminals you are familiar with, you are thinking about, and you are pointing fingers at,” Siniora said.

The March 14 Coalition, which Siniora affiliated with and led by former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, is being accused by the Syrian government of supporting the rebels in Syria alongwith other regional and international players.

In Damascus, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said that the accusation made by Siniora are “desperate attempts” to hide his role in supporting and funding terrorism in Lebanon and the region and providing safe havens to terrorists, according to the Syrian official SANA news agency.

Al-Zoubi stressed that terrorism is the enemy of all sides and all the world’s peoples, adding that terrorism must be dealt with seriously away from the absurd use of political and fruitless accusations.