Lebanon Blast Partly Destroys U.S. Fast Food Outlet, Wounds Guard
Symbols
of American culture have been attacked in growing anger
against unconditional U.S. support of Israel
TRIPOLI, Lebanon, May 9 (News Agencies) - A bomb partly destroyed a U.S. fast food outlet at dawn Thursday, May 9, in northern Lebanon and wounded a security guard, police said, in the latest show of anger at perceived U.S. bias for Israel.
Mahmoud Al-Assad was hurt by flying glass in the attack against an outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the port city of Tripoli, police said.
The 1.5 kilogram bomb was placed outside the restaurant after it closed for the night, they said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The attack was the first of its kind against a U.S. food outlet in Lebanon since the start of a large-scale Israeli offensive against the Palestinians on March 29.
It destroyed the facade of the restaurant and caused damage inside.
A grass-roots campaign to boycott U.S. products in protest at perceived US bias for Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians has spread across many Arab countries in recent weeks.
Several Lebanese associations, student groups and leading Shiite Muslim cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah have urged people to join the boycott campaign.
A KFC outlet in Cairo was trashed in Cairo early in April 2002 amid street demonstrations to protest Israel's military operations in the Palestinian territories.
