Bombing in Lebanon leaves 23 dead

Lebanon has experienced a severe outbreak of violence in the wake of the civil war occurring just next door in Syria. On Tuesday, two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the city of Beirut, just outside the Iranian Embassy. The Lebanese Health Ministry says that at least 23 people and 146 more were injured. Lebanese Internal Security Forces also say that six or more buildings suffered damage.

An extreme Sunni group has said it was responsible for the attack, and now demands that the Shiite group, Hezbollah, stop aiding the Syrian government with fighters. Hezbollah is based in Lebanon, but is also supported by Iran.

Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, strongly believes that the embassy was the aim of the bombing, but added that such efforts to hinder Iran’s agenda would be unsuccessful. “We have no fear when it comes to giving more martyrs in the line of duties,” he told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV. Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, added that the bombing was “a cowardly terrorist attack,” and encouraged the people of Lebanon to show “restraint, because we are going through a very difficult phase.”