Turkish Foreign Ministry strongly condemns Lebanon bomb attacks

ANKARA

Civil defense members and residents gather around a crater caused by one of the two explosions outside one of two mosques in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, Aug. 23. REUTERS photo

Ankara has strongly condemned the Aug. 23 attack outside two Sunni mosques in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, which killed at least 42 people and wounded hundreds of others.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry decried a plot "aimed at destabilizing Lebanon," according to AFP.

“Just a week after terrorist attacks in Beirut, these attacks, this time perpetrated close to the holy places of worship in Tripoli after Friday prayers, increase concerns that an act is being staged to upset stability and internal peace in Lebanon,” said the statement, which was issued hours after the attack.

“On this occasion, it is useful to emphasize once again the importance of acting with common sense and altruism by all sides, in order to preserve the stability and internal harmony of Lebanon,” the statement added.

“The [attacks] have deeply saddened us. We strongly condemn the increasing attacks in Lebanon. All Lebanese people are our brothers, regardless their confession,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu told reporters in Rome. 

The ties between both countries were recently strained after two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped in Beirut on Aug. 9 by a previously unknown group, which called itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida. 

The group's demands that Turkey uses its influence with Syria’s rebels to secure the release of nine Lebanese Shiites kidnapped in Syria in May 2012. Lebanese authorities have launched an investigation, arresting several suspects and charging them in connection with the abduction.