Blasts at Iranian Embassy in Beirut Kill at Least 23
Two explosions detonated in an attack on the Iranian Embassy in Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 23 people and injuring scores, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Cars were blazing and buildings were damaged but it was not immediately clear whether the victims included Iranian diplomatic personnel.
The area, Bir Hassan, is populated by Shiite Muslims. Apart from the Iranian diplomatic representation, the area also houses an office of the Shiite Amal Party, an ally of Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that is sponsored by Tehran and which has sent its militia forces to fight rebels in neighboring Syria.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which seemed to fit a pattern of deepening sectarian division across the region inspired by the civil war in Syria. Nor was there confirmation of Lebanese media accounts saying that one Iranian official had died.
Residents and news reports said two explosions targeting the three-story Iranian Embassy damaged at least six buildings in the embassy compound. But there was initial confusion about whether the explosions were caused by rocket fire or a car bomb.
Television images showed charred bodies in a rubble-strewn street lined with cars set on fire by the explosion and blackened trees. Bystanders were seen fleeing in panic.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/world/middleeast/blast-hits-shiite-area-of-beirut.html?_r=0
