al-Qaida takes responsibility for Lebanon bombing

BEIRUT -- An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility yesterday for a suicide car bombing last week in a Shia-dominated neighborhood in Lebanon, as its fighters fought other rebels in neighboring Syria in the most serious infighting since the uprising began.

It was the first time the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for an attack in Lebanon, underscoring how the Syrian war is increasingly spilling over into its smaller neighbor.

At least five people were killed in the Thursday attack that targeted a south Beirut neighborhood that is a bastion of support for the Shia group Hezbollah. The al-Qaida group sought to punish Hezbollah for sending fighters to Syria to shore up forces of the Syrian President Bashar Assad. -- AP