BEIRUT
By Hamza Takeen
The death toll from a blast that ripped through Beirut's southern suburb on Thursday rose to five people, head of the country's Red Cross said.
The attack also left 70 people injured, most of them with moderate wounds, George Kettaneh told AA.
A statement by the Lebanese army said that the explosion was caused by a booby-trapped car that contained 20 kilograms of explosives.
The blast took place between the densely-populated areas of Bir al-Abed and Haret Hreik in the southern suburb, considered a stronghold of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
It was a few meters behind the old headquarters of the group's television channel, Al-Manar.
Thursday's attack is the third to hit the Hezbollah stronghold since August.
A car bombing killed 27 people and injured hundreds more in the predominantly Shiite area of south Beirut in August.
Three months later, at least 32 people, including the Iranian cultural attaché, were killed and dozens injured in twin bombings targeting the Iranian embassy in southern Beirut.
The Thursday attack came also a few days after a deadly blast struck Beirut, killing at least six people, including former finance minister Mohammad Chatah – a Sunni Muslim who served as political adviser to ex-premier Saad Hariri.
Military involvement by Hezbollah and Iran in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ongoing military conflict with armed rebel groups in Syria has drawn condemnation from Sunni-Muslim quarters both inside and outside Lebanon.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
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