BEIRUT
Twin bombings that rocked Beirut's southern Beir Hassan suburb on Wednesday were carried out by two suicide bombers, according to the Lebanese army.
The first blast was caused by a car-bomb that went off near the Iranian cultural chancellery, followed by a second car-bomb that exploded a few meters away, the army said in a statement.
Earlier Wednesday, Health Minister Wael Abu Abu Faour told Anadolu Agency by phone that the death toll from the two bombings had risen to five, in addition to over 80 injuries.
The blasts severely damaged property and cars parked in the area, which is a well-known stronghold of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
In a statement, the Iranian embassy in Beirut confirmed that the staff of its cultural chancellery had suffered "no serious injuries."
Prime Minister Tammam Salam described Wednesday's bombings as "a message from terrorists that they are going ahead with their plans to sow death in Lebanon."
"This new blow to Lebanon comes amid the positive atmosphere that saw the birth of a new government," Salam said in a press release.
"We will respond [to the attacks] with solidarity, unity, commitment to civil peacefulness and support for our army and security forces," the premier asserted.
- Al Qaeda affiliate claims attack
The Al-Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades has claimed responsibility the bombings.
Vowing further escalation, the brigades said via Twitter that Wednesday's attacks had come in response to continued involvement by militant Shiite group Hezbollah in the Syria conflict and the continued detention of Islamist militants by the Lebanese government.
In a reference to Hezbollah, the brigades added: "We will continue to target the political and military strongholds of Iran's party in Lebanon until our two fair demands are met: the withdrawal of Iran's party from Syria, and the release of our prisoners from unjust detention in Lebanese prisons."
The group went on to address the Syrian people, saying: "Your blood is our blood; Iran's party won't be safe in Lebanon until you're safe in Syria."
It was the second such attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Beirut to be claimed by the brigades. Last November, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Iranian embassy that killed 24 people, including the Iranian culture attaché.
Lebanon, currently facing an increasingly precarious security situation, has seen a total of ten bombings since last August.
Most of the attacks have targeted strongholds of Hezbollah, whose involvement in the Syrian conflict next door has drawn condemnation from Sunni-Muslim quarters both inside and outside Lebanon.
By Hamza Takeen
englishnews@aa.com.tr
