国际英语新闻：Son of former Lebanese PM attacked

BEIRUT, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A hand grenade was tossed late Saturday night at the residence of the son of former Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami, an ally of Shiite armed group Hezbollah.

Unidentified assailants tossed a hand grenade in the direction of the residence of the son of former Prime Minister Omar Karami in the Lebanese northern city of Tripoli, injuring two bodyguards. The vehicle transporting the perpetrators was identified as a black Kia, a security source said.

Tension mounted across Lebanon in recent months over the indictment to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), investigating Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination in 2005. The UN-backed court is believed to point the finger at Hezbollah, sparking fears of violence between Sunnis and Shiites of the country.

Karami said failure to uncover those behind the incident would leave Tripoli prone to security incidents and instability. "From a political and security perspective, the incident is a very dangerous one," he said. "Tripoli does not belong to one group but for several parties and if every party throws a bomb at another, the city will pay the price."

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri along with several ministers, lawmakers and ambassadors as well as religious and security officials phoned Karami to condemn the incident.

Karami's political ally, Hezbollah, released a statement describing the incident as part of attempts to deal a blow to internal stability and undermine the position of political figures, who oppose plans to instigate strife among the Lebanese.

Hezbollah urged political and security officials to take the necessary measures to uncover those responsible for the incident and put them on trial.

Tripoli has witnessed over the past years several security incidents and a number of armed clashes mostly between the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh, which houses a Sunni majority, and Jabal Mohsen, which embraces an Alawite community, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.