Hawzah News Agency (Beirut, Lebanon) – In his message, Ayatollah Abdul Amir Qabalan further wished the survivors and the injured a speedy recovery.

Speaking on Lebanon’s recent developments, Ayatollah Qabalan stressed peaceful cohabitation among Lebanese groups asserting, "The unity is a key to Lebanon’s sovereignty; I ask all Lebanese groups to voice their solidarity with each other in order to address the ongoing issues and make a sincere effort for the country’s integrity and stability."

It must be noted that the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Kermanshah Province, western Iran, on Sunday night, has so far claimed 395 lives and injured about 6,650 others.

Preceded by three smaller jolts, the earthquake happened on Sunday night near the Iran-Iraq border at 21:48 local time (18:18 GMT).

The epicenter of the quake was registered at 34.86 degrees latitude and 45.9 degrees longitude, at the depth of 11km, a shallow depth that can cause tremendous damage, in Ezgeleh region in Kermanshah Province.

The huge jolt, which rocked western provinces of Iran and areas in the eastern Iraq, was also felt as far as Persian Gulf states Qatar and Kuwait in the south, the Occupied Palestine in the west, and Turkey in the north of the quake-stricken Iran and Iraq.

It caused the biggest damage in Kermanshah, Qasr-e Shirin and Sarpol-e Zahab (about 15 km from the Iraqi border) cities.