The UN Security Council Friday strongly condemned twin bombings in Lebanon's northern port city of Tripoli and appealed to all Lebanese to preserve national unity in face of sectarian violence.

"The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on August 23 2013 in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, which killed at least 42 people and wounded more than 400," said a press statement released here.

Underlining the need to bring the perpetrators of "the heinous act" to justice, the Security Council called on all Lebanese people to "preserve national unity in the face of attempts to undermine the country's stability."

The two blasts outside Sunni mosques packed with worshippers, the deadliest in Tripoli since the end of Lebanon's civil war ( 1975-1990), were seen as a major escalation of sectarian violence in the Middle East country.

The Security Council reaffirmed that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security" and also reiterated the need to combat "threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts."

Moreover, the 15-country body once again stressed the importance for all Lebanese parties to respect the country's policy of disassociation and to refrain from "any involvement in the Syrian crisis" to be consistent with their commitment in the Baabda Declaration.

The deal, approved in June last year, is aimed to keep Lebanon neutral from regional tensions and crisis.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)