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Two Grenades hit building near U.N. HQ in Beirut
 Two rocket-propelled grenades hit a building near the headquarters of the United Nations in Beirut early on Sunday, slightly wounding four people, security sources and witnesses said. They said the grenade, fired from a small hill in central Beirut ( Fouad Shehab bridge), hit the Osaili building that houses offices, a bank branch and a nightclub in Riad el-Solh some 30 meters from the U.N. offices.The prime minister's office is about 100 yards away and the Parliament building is on another square a few buildings behind Riad el-Solh. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the pre-dawn attack.Police and army soldiers cordoned off the street and began investigations. The explosion broke windows in the building and damaged two cars, witnesses said. The injured, all civilians, were taken to a hospital for treatment. Two were later released. Downtown Beirut, rebuilt after the 1975-1990 civil war, also houses the headquarters of the Lebanese government, commercial banks, shops and restaurants. A stun grenade exploded near a police barracks in Beirut last week causing little damage and no casualties. A U.N. peacekeeping force is deployed in south Lebanon to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters that ended a 34-day war in August. Update: Six people were injured and not 4 as originally reported and 3 grenades were fired and not 2. Police said one rocket smashed through a window of the building and injured people inside, a second exploded against a wall leaving a black impact while a third exploded on the sidewalk, damaging two cars Sunday. The building hit by the rockets houses the offices of several companies, two restaurants and the headquarters of the charity foundation of Saudi billionaire Al-Walid bin Talal. Posted by: Fred 2006-10-16 |
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