Lebanon blasts hit Iran’s embassy in Beirut

Beirut. At least 22 people are reported to have been killed in two bomb blasts that hit the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut in quick succession.The Iranian cultural attache Ebrahim Ansari was among the dead.Iran is a major backer of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad.A jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda said it carried out the attack, which included a suicide bombing. The head of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades described it as a “double martyrdom operation carried out by two heroes from the heroic Sunnis of Lebanon”.The Syrian conflict has increased sectarian tensions in Lebanon.Lebanese Sunni Muslim fighters have joined forces with the mainly Sunni rebels in Syria. Some of the rebel groups are affiliated with al-Qaeda.Shia Muslim Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah, as well as Mr Assad’s government.Mr Assad comes from the Alawite sect, a heterodox offshoot of Shia Islam.Reports said one of the blasts was caused by a suicide bomber, while the second was a car bomb.TV images showed burning cars, bodies on the street and damaged buildings.Carine Torbey, from BBC Arabic, says if it is confirmed as a suicide attack, it would be a major escalation.Our correspondent, who is at the scene, says security forces are still trying to rescue anyone who may be trapped in the rubble, while Hezbollah fighters are searching everyone who wants to enter the area.Reuters quotes Lebanese officials as saying CCTV footage showed a man rushing towards the outer wall of the Iranian embassy before blowing himself up, causing the first blast.The Iranian ambassador to Beirut confirmed Mr Ansari’s death to Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV, but said it was not clear if he had been in the embassy itself or one of the residential buildings nearby. The ambassador blamed Israel for the attack - an accusation Israel swiftly rejected.Israel played “no part”, said Tzachi Hanegbi, a member of the foreign affairs and defence committee in the Israeli parliament, adding: “Of course Israel had nothing to do with such attacks in the past.”