Car bomb kills 25 near Iranian Embassy in BeirutNovember 19, 2013 11:06 AM
The Daily Star

BEIRUT: Two suspected suicide bombers – one driving a rigged car and the other on a motorcycle – attacked the Iranian embassy in Beirut Tuesday, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 150, security sources said.

The sources told The Daily Star that preliminary information indicates the first suicide bomber was on foot and the second drove a bomb-laden vehicle into the Bir Hassan area two minutes later.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television reported that seconds before the car bomb exploded, a suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up.

Two blasts were heard minutes apart around 9:30 a.m. near the Iranian Embassy in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Bir Hasan, the sources told The Daily Star.

The sources said Iranian embassy cultural attache and two Iranian civilians were among the dead and several embassy guards were wounded.

The sources said a huge crater created by one of the explosions indicate that the blast was the result of a car bomb.

A number of officials arrived at the scene including Hezbollah MP Ali Meqdad who said “no matter how much they try, they will fail.”

Ambulances also rushed to the scene of the explosion that sent black smoke plumes into the sky while hospitals in the area appealed for blood.

At least three buildings around the embassy were totally damaged and several others also sustained considerable damage.

At least six bodies lay on the street leading to the embassy. Debris littered the street and several cars were seen burning.

“I was waiting at the traffic sign on the street parallel to the Iranian embassy when I heard a loud explosion,” said a motorist, who refused to be identified.

“I was terrified. I saw black smoke, but I decided to continue my trip to Shweifat ,” she added.

Two devastating explosions had ripped through the southern suburbs of Beirut in July and August, killing dozens of people and wounding scores more.

Hezbollah is deeply involved in the Syrian war with fighters fighting alongside forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah accused Islamist Takfiri militants of being behind the car bombings that targeted the Bir al-Abed and Ruwaiss neighborhoods.

Panopticon posted:

reading the ancient lore of long dead masters, and internet reactionaries

two things that consistently inspire these 'current affairs' you fool