How exposed is Lebanon to Syrian war?
ISIL takes responsibility for two bombings in Hezbollah stronghold.
Lebanon is holding a day of mourning after dozens of people were killed in two bombings in a southern suburb of Beirut.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for the attack in Burj el-Barajneh, a mainly Shia area that is also home to Syrian and Palestinian families.
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More than 230 people were wounded in the blasts.
The bombings were framed as revenge against Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group that draws its support from the country’s Shia community.
Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters across the border to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Tammam Salam, Lebanese prime minister, has called for unity in the face of attempts to create sectarian strife.
But the bombings are a reminder that, despite a period of recent calm, Lebanon is unable to escape the civil war taking place across the border.
So how exposed is Lebanon to what is happening in Syria?
And how is Hezbollah’s increasing involvement in Syria causing problems back home?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Elias Farhat – Strategic researcher and retired Lebanese general.
Olivier Guitta – Managing director of geopolitical risk and security consultancy firm, GlobalStrat.
Bissane El Cheikh – Journalist for Al Hayat newspaper.