List of attacks in Lebanon


Starting in 2004, a series of bombings and assassinations struck Lebanon, most of them in and around the capital, Beirut. This wave of bombings began with the assassination attempt on Marwan Hamadeh, then became more intense with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14, 2005, which touched off the Cedar Revolution and the withdrawal of Syrian troops. After the massive protests following Hariri's killing, several more terrorist attacks hit Lebanon. Part of the attacks are allegedly linked to Syria and Unit 121.
These bombings and assassinations came after September 2004, when the Lebanese Parliament was pressured by Syria to extend the term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud through a constitutional amendment. The MPs, journalists, and activists that opposed this term extension were subject to slander, harassment and, in many cases, assassination attempts. Since 2013 most of the bombings were not related to the Cedar Revolution but rather a spillover of the Syrian civil war.
This list is limited to bombings and assassinations; it does not include other form of attacks. It is presented in chronological order.

2004

  • Marwan Hamadeh assassination attempt – A car bomb exploded next to the motorcade carrying Druze MP Marwan Hamadeh. Hamadeh was injured, but survived; his driver was killed. Hamadeh was a critic of Syria and a member of the opposition to President Émile Lahoud.

2005

  • Rafiq Hariri assassination – A massive explosion killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in Beirut, near the St. George Hotel. The former Minister of the Economy, Bassel Fleihan, was also among the 22 killed. About 220 others were wounded. A group calling itself "Al Nusra and Jihad in greater Syria" claimed responsibility for the blast. According to the UN report, released October 20, the blast was the result of a truck bomb. Security video had captured a white truck driving near Hariri's convoy which investigators determined was carrying an estimated 1,000 kg of explosives. Since Hariri's convoy had jamming devices meant to block remote control signals, the attack was carried out using a suicide bomber. The report cited a witness who said the bomber was an Iraqi who was led to believe his target was Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who had been in Beirut just days before. The report concluded that top Syrian and Lebanese officials planned the assassination beginning in mid-2004.
  • New Jdeideh bombing – A car bomb exploded in the New Jdeideh suburb of Beirut. The blast happened in a mixed commercial-residential area and wounded 11 people. Reports said that the driver had tried to park in front of a bingo hall and was turned away, so he instead parked next to an apartment.
  • Kaslik bombing – A bomb left in a leather bag exploded at the back entrance of the Kaslik shopping center in Jounieh. Two Indian and one Pakistani janitor were killed, and two Sri Lankans and two Lebanese injured. The roof of the mall collapsed.
  • Sad el-Bouchrieh bombing – A car bomb parked between two factories exploded in the Sad el-Bouchrieh area of Beirut, wounding 6 people. It caused a blaze which destroyed several workshops.
  • Broummana bombing – A bomb ripped through the Rizk plaza in the Broummana resort village, east of Beirut. 12 people were injured.
  • Jounieh bombing – A car bomb exploded between the Christian Sawt al Mahaba radio station and the Mar Yuhanna Church in Jounieh. The radio station was destroyed and the church suffered major damage. 22 people were wounded.
  • Samir Kassir assassination – Anti-Syrian journalist Samir Kassir was assassinated when a bomb detonated in his car outside his home in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district, a largely Christian residential area. Kassir was a front-page columnist for the al-Nahar newspaper, where he wrote columns criticizing the pro-Syrian government.
  • George Hawi assassination – Former Lebanese Communist Party leader George Hawi, a critic of Syria, died when his car exploded as he was driving through Beirut's Wata Musaitbi district.
  • Elias Murr assassination attempt – A car bomb wounded the outgoing Lebanese defense minister, Elias Murr, as his motorcade drove through Beirut's Christian suburb of Antelias. 2 people were killed and 12 others injured. This attack was unique in the series of bombings in that Murr was considered a pro-Syrian figure.
  • Monot bombing – A bomb exploded in a car parked in front of a restaurant on Monot Street in Beirut, wounding 12 people. The bomb was estimated to be.
  • Zalka bombing – In the mostly Christian neighborhood of Zalka a bomb placed between a shopping center and a hotel damaged shops and windows, wounding 8 people. It consisted of of TNT and was set on a timer.
  • Jeitawi bombing – An explosion in the largely Christian area of Ashrafieh killed 1 person and injured 23 others. It was believed to have been caused by a car bomb; two cars were destroyed and buildings near the blast were severely damaged.
  • May Chidiac assassination attempt – Christian journalist and critic of Syria May Chidiac was seriously injured when a bomb exploded as she got into her car in Jounieh. She lost her left leg and arm. Chidiac was an anchor on the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.
  • Gebran Tueni assassination – A prominent anti-Syrian journalist and lawmaker, Gebran Tueni, was killed by a car bomb. He had returned from France only a day earlier, where he had been staying for fear of assassination. His driver and a passerby were also killed when a car bomb exploded as his motorcade drove through Mkalles, an industrial suburb of Beirut. 3 people were killed and another 30 wounded in the bombing, and at least 10 vehicles were destroyed. The December 28 An Nahar reported that the group "The Strugglers for the Unity and Freedom in al Sham" had claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement which said outgoing UNIIIC chairman Detlev Mehlis was lucky to escape death and threatened any new chairman with assassination if he too implicated Syria.

2006

2007

  • Bikfaya bombing – A bomb on a bus near Bikfaya killed 3 people and wounded 21 others.
  • ABC bombing – Explosives placed near the ABC mall in Achrafieh killed 1 civilian and wounded 18 others.
  • Verdun bombing – An explosion in the affluent Beirut district of Verdun injured 10 people including 2 children.
  • Aley bombing – An explosion in the town of Aley wounded 5 people.
  • Walid Eido assassination – Walid Eido, an anti-Syrian MP, was killed by a car bomb in Beirut along with 8 others, including his eldest son Khaled Eido.
  • Antoine Ghanem assassination – Anti-Syrian Lebanese MP Antoine Ghanem and four others were killed in a car bomb attack in a Christian suburb of Beirut.
  • Francois Elias Hajj assassination – Brigadier General François al-Hajj, from the village of Rmaich, was among 4 killed in a car bomb attack in Baabda.

2008

  • US diplomat bombing – A bomb targeted against a US diplomatic vehicle killed 4 Lebanese civilians and wounded 16 others.
  • Wissam Eid assassination – Capt. Wissam Eid, Lebanese Internal Security Forces senior terrorism investigator, was assassinated. At the time of the attack, Eid was also the top Lebanese investigator into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
  • Tripoli bus bombing – A bomb targeting a civilian bus in Tripoli killed 16 people, including 7 Lebanese soldiers.
  • Saleh Aridi assassination – Saleh Aridi, a pro-Syrian Druze politician of the Lebanese Democratic Party, was killed by a car bomb.
  • Tripoli car bomb – A car bomb destroyed a bus in Tripoli, killing 5 soldiers and injuring 35 others.

2009

  • Kamal Naji assassination – The deputy head of the PLO in Lebanon was killed along 4 other people by a roadside bomb near Sidon.

2012

  • Wissam al Hassan assassination – Head of the intelligence branch of the Internal Security Forces Maj. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan was killed by a massive car bomb in Achrafieh. 128 were injured and 8 others died.

2013

  • Roueiss bombing – An attack on the Roueiss neighborhood in south Beirut killed 27 people and injured over 300. The attack was believed to have been carried out through a car bomb. Similar to the Beir el-Abed bombing, this attack targeted a Hizbollah stronghold.
  • Tripoli dual bombings – Bombs hit two mosques killing at least 42 people and wounding hundreds. The first explosion hit the Taqwa mosque, and killed at least 14 people there. Further deaths were reported from a second blast a few minutes later outside the al-Salam mosque, which the Interior Ministry said was hit by a car laden with 100 kg of explosives.
  • Beir Hassan bombing – A large explosion near an Iranian cultural center in the southern suburbs of Beirut killed at least 22 people and injured 146 others in a double bomb attack. The explosion appeared to have been caused by a car bomb and a motorcycle laden with explosives.
  • Hassan Lakkis assassination – A senior Hezbollah commander named Hassan Lakkis was assassinated by two gunmen in Beirut.
  • Mohamad Chatah assassination – Former-minister Mohamad Chatah, member of the Future Movement, and 5 others were killed by a car bomb that targeted Chatah's vehicle. Approximately 70 people were wounded in the attack.

2014

  • Haret Hreik bombing – Explosives were detonated in front of the political office of Hizbollah, killing 4 and injuring 77 others. Several buildings were damaged and flames engulfed vehicles parked on Al-Arid Street, where the explosives-rigged vehicle had been parked.
  • 1st Hermel bombing – A suspected suicide car-bombing killed 5 people and wounded 42 others in a bustling neighborhood in the northeastern town of Hermel.
  • 2nd Hermel bombing – Another terrorist explosion targeted Hermel, killing 4 and injuring 23 civilians in an attack that was claimed by an Al-Qaeda-linked group. The suicide bomber drove a Grand Cherokee Jeep up to a petrol station in the Zahraa area of the city where he then detonated a car bomb.
  • Van bombing – A suicide bombing injured 2 people south of Beirut.
  • Iranian cultural center bombings – Two suicide bombings killed 8 people and wounded 128 others near the Iranian cultural center in Beirut.
  • 3rd Hermel bombing – A suicide car bombing targeting an army post in Hermel killed 3 people including 2 soldiers and wounded 17 others. The Lebanon branch of the Nusra Front, a radical Syrian rebel force, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, saying it was part of a "series of vengeful attacks".
  • Arsal bombing – A suicide car bomb killed 3 Lebanese soldiers and wounded 4 others in the northeastern town of Arsal.
  • Dahr al Baidar bombing – A suicide bomber killed a police officer and wounded 32 people at a checkpoint in east Lebanon.
  • Beirut cafe bombing – A suicide bomber driving an old Mercedes wounded 12 people near a cafe and a military checkpoint in Beirut.
  • Duroy Hotel bombing – A suicide bomber wounded 11 people in a Beirut hotel. Security forces attempted to arrest him before the explosion.
  • Tripoli bomb – A homemade bomb killed 1 civilian and wounded 10 others near an army checkpoint in Tripoli.
  • 2nd Arsal bombing – A bomb killed 2 Lebanese soldiers and wounded 3 others in Arsal.
  • Hezbollah bombing – A bombing targeted a Hezbollah checkpoint in eastern Lebanon. The number of casualties is disputed.
  • 3rd Arsal bombing – A bomb wounded 3 soldiers in Arsal.
  • 4th Arsal bombing – Another bomb in Arsal killed 1 soldier and wounded 2 others.

2015

  • Jabal Mohsen cafe bombing – A double suicide-bombing in Tripoli killed 9 people and injured at least 50 others.
  • Ghassan Ajaj assassination – An intelligence officer was assassinated by a gunman in northern Lebanon.
  • Bader Eid assassination – The brother of Alawite leader Ali Eid was assassinated in northern Lebanon.
  • Second Hezbollah bombing – A bombing targeted a bus transporting Hezbollah fighters to Syria. The number of casualties could not be determined.
  • 5th Arsal bombing – A bombing killed at least 5 people and wounded 15 others in the eastern town of Arsal.
  • 6th Arsal bombing – A blast wounded 5 Lebanese soldiers in Arsal.
  • Bourj el-Barajneh bombing – Two suicide bombers killed 89 people and wounded more than 200 in the southern Beirut suburb of Bourj el-Barajneh, a Hezbollah stronghold.
  • Deir Ammar bombing – A suicide bomber killed 3 people and wounded 6 others during an army raid in North Lebanon.

2016

  • 7th Arsal bombing – A roadside bomb killed a Lebanese soldier and wounded 3 others in Arsal.
  • Fathi Zaydan assassination – An explosion killed Fathi Zaydan, a Fatah senior officer near the main Palestinian camp in South Lebanon.
  • Blom Bank bombing – An explosion caused material damage outside a branch of the biggest bank in Lebanon.
  • Qaa Bombings – Several suicide bombings killed at least 5 people and wounded more than 12 in the eastern village of Al Qaa. Security officials believe Islamic State militants were behind the attack although no one claimed responsibility.
  • 8th Arsal bombing – A bomb wounded 5 soldiers in the eastern village of Arsal.
  • Zahle bombing – A bomb killed 1 person and injured several others in the eastern city of Zahle.
  • Al Ain – A small explosion killed the deputy mayor of Al Ain, a town in northeastern Lebanon.

2018

  • Mohammad Hamdan attempted assassination – A car bomb injured a Hamas official in the southern city of Saida.

2021

  • Lokman Slim assassination – A prominent critic of Hezbollah has been shot dead in South Lebanon.

2023

2024

Pre-Lahoud term extension

The assassinations and bombings listed above occurred after September 2004, in the aftermath of the forced term extension of the pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. The events listed below had nothing to do with the extension of Emile Lahoud's presidential term, and most of them occurred long before.