Lebanon denounces St. Petersburg terror attack

Lebanon denounced Tuesday the deadly St. Petersburg metro attack, which left 14 dead and more than 50 injured.

"The cowardly terror attack increases our conviction that the joint efforts to combat terrorism are a crucial need," President Michel Aoun said in a letter of condolences he sent to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, deploring the attack.

He stressed the importance of solidarity as the "only means to eradicate the sick ideology by the roots and prevent it from infiltrating our regions, states and societies."

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri also condemned the attack during his joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

"Terrorism is a plague that has no religion," Hariri said, calling for further support to the Lebanese security forces in their fight against terrorism.

Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil also denounced the blasts in a statement released by the media office of the foreign ministry.

The statement said that the attack is an act of terrorism "which attempts to undermine global stability" and called for international cooperation.

He also reaffirmed the ministry's full support of Russia's counter-terrorism efforts.

"We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and wish the wounded a swift recovery." Endit