REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council on Saturday strongly condemned a deadly car bombing in northeastern Lebanon, saying "the recent escalation in acts of terrorism and violence in Lebanon is of grave concern."
"The secretary-general strongly condemns the car bombing today in the area of Hermel in north-eastern Lebanon that has killed and wounded several people," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.
"He extends his condolences to the families of the victims of this terrorist act. He hopes that the perpetrators of this crime and all other acts of terrorism will be brought to justice," the statement said.
A suicide car bombing hit a gas station in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa town of Hermel on Saturday, leaving five people dead and 18 others injured. The al Nusra Front in Lebanon has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The al-Qaida affiliated terrorist group, on its Twitter account, has also claimed responsibility for a number of other recent attacks targeting Shiite populated areas in Lebanon.
"The recent escalation in acts of terrorism and violence in Lebanon is of grave concern," Ban said in the statement. "The secretary-general reiterates his call on all Lebanese to rally behind their state institutions, including the army and security forces, as the best means to confront such unacceptable and indiscriminate actions and to safeguard their country's security and stability."
The Security Council also extended their condolences to the families of the victims and expressed their sympathy to all those injured in this heinous act and to the people and Government of Lebanon.
In a statement, the 15-member Security Council said, "Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."
"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring the perpetrators to justice," it added.
Hermel, which is considered the heartland of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, has been targeted recently by a wave of rocket attacks from Syria.
On Jan. 16, a car bomb near an army barrack in Hermel killed three people and injured more than 15 others.
Shiite-populated areas in Lebanon have suffered a series of terrorist attacks after Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last May that his Shiite party was fighting on behalf of the Syrian government in the civil war raging in neighboring Syria.
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