A double-bombing Tuesday at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut has killed at least 23, injured about 150 and left several cars in the streets engulfed in flames.
The embassy is located in Beir Hassan, in the southern portion of the country.
NBC reported that Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Rokon Abadi, escaped injury. But he told a Lebanese television station that his cultural attache, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ansari, had been killed.
Smoke billowed out from the structure as police and fire officials swarmed to the scene. Witnesses said they saw charred bodies in the streets.
Investigators suspect it was a bomb and not rocket fire, because of the large crater the blast left. Other media outlets described the attack as twin bombs that were ignited seconds together.
Lebanese news outlets reported the attack was a suicide bombing, conducted by attackers who drove a car and a motorcycle. So far, nobody’s claimed responsibility for the attack.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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