Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a Sunni Lebanese al-Qaeda linked group, has claimed responsibility for two bombs that exploded near the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital of Beirut Tuesday in an area mostly populated by Shiite Muslims, Reuters reported.
The statement was released through a Twitter post written by the Azzam Brigade's religious guide Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat that read: "It was a double martyrdom operation by two of the Sunni heroes of Lebanon."
Medical personnel on the scene confirmed 18 dead including Iranian cultural attaché, Ebrahim Ansari, who was on his way to the compound, Reuters reported.
The area where the two explosions occurred is known as Bir Hassan, a Southern part of Beirut that has been caught in the Shiite-Sunni conflict for the past two years due to the conflict with Syria, according to the New York Times.
The attack was described by the Azzam Brigades as a double attack on the Iranian mission in Beirut, Reuters reported.
Security cameras show a man wearing an explosives belt running up to the embassy before blowing himself up; the second was caused by a bomb which exploded inside a parked car two buildings away from the embassy, Lebanese officials reported, according to Reuters.
The two explosions rocked the area which houses the Shiite Amal Party, an ally of Hezbollah, the militant group from Lebanon fighting Sunni rebels in Syria, the Times reported.
Workers in a restaurant about 100 yards away from where the bombs exploded said the second explosion was stronger than the first, according to Reuters.
The embassy's exterior suffered minor damages, but images being broadcast on Iranian television show bodies strewn all over the street. Reuters reported trees were uprooted by the force of the blast and glass from nearby buildings were also broken.
"At one entrance of the Iranian embassy I counted six bodies outside. I saw body parts around and thrown two streets away," Reuters television cameraman Issam Abdullah said from the scene. "There is huge damage, it looks like it is a car bomb. One car is twisted there. There were two Mercedes cars badly damaged."
Lebanon experienced similar explosions three other times in the past year as tensions rise between Shiite-Sunni supporters, Reuters reported. Sunni supporters linked to al-Qaeda have fought against any Iran and Lebanese military involvement in the Syrian war currently underway.
"Whoever did this is a monstrous terrorist...The resistance message is that it will continue," Ali Ammar, a Hezbollah official said "It will continue in all its efforts to defeat Israel and defeat the terrorists."
Hezbollah is supported by Shiite Iran, who has also backed President Assad's fight against any Sunni rebel groups Reuters reported. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are currently backing Sunni rebel groups.
Assad's forces have multiplied with the addition of Hezbollah fighters who have been aiding his forces during confrontations in Syria against Sunni Muslim rebels, Reuters reported. The jihadi support has increased tensions between them and Israel.
