Communist anti-IS official killed in east Lebanon car bomb

Khaled Houry was killed and his brother had his limbs amputated in a car-bomb attack in the north of the Bekaa valley on Wednesday.

MENA

1 min read

Robert Cusack

28 December, 2016

Khaled Houry was killed at around 7.30am local time on Wednesday [Facebook]

A car-bomb killed the deputy-chief of a small town in the Bekaa valley, east Lebanon, and seriously injured his brother on Wednesday, the latest in a string of bomb attacks in the region.

Khaled Ali Houry, a member of the Lebanese Communist Party, was killed in the explosion at 7.30am (Lebanese time) in al-Ain, near al-Hermel.

"Comrade Khalid was a member of the local Committee in the northern Bekaa Valley and was known for his impulsiveness, loyalty and dedication," said the Lebanese Communist Party in a statement.

Khaled's brother, Mahmoud Houry, was transferred to a local hospital for emergency treatment. His arms and legs were amputated following the attack.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of publication, although there have been a number of similar attacks carried out by Islamic State in the region.

The Lebanese Communist Party run a volunteer group of vigilante fighters which fight against Islamist fighters from Islamic State and al-Nusra Front in the east of the country.

The Bekaa region largely falls under Hizballah influence and is home to a large concentration of Syrian refugees who have escaped the war in their homeland.