Two blasts near the Iranian embassy in Beirut killed at least 23 people, injuring 146 and causing havoc and a massive fire in the Lebanese capital. Six buildings were reportedly destroyed in the embassy compound.
According to a local news source, Almanar News, the harrowing scene was caused by 100kg of TNT loaded into a Renault Rapid. Security sources on the ground said there were two blasts - the first caused by a person on a motorbike, while the second was by a suicide bomber who tried to ram the compound with the car.
Witnesses at the scene reported that they occurred within one or two minutes of each other.
Injured people and destroyed buildings were seen on very disturbing pictures circulated by Lebanese media in the immediate aftermath.
Witnesses speaking to Al Arabiya reported seeing smoke rising from the battered embassy compound, while footage from the bloody scene showed raging fires, with the death toll rising by the minute.
It is not clear who was behind the attack at this time, but the area where the blasts occurred is significant in two ways: it is considered to be a stronghold for the Lebanese Shiite faction, Hezbollah. And secondly, it is a popular area and a home to many families of Iranian diplomats working in Lebanon.
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