A car bomb ripped through a Shi'ite-dominated area of Lebanon's capital, killing at least four people and wounding 35 in the latest attack targeting supporters of the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah.
The blast occurred Tuesday in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold and the same area where a car bomb killed five people earlier this month.
Lebanon's state media said a suicide bomber was behind the attack. A security official said the vehicle was stolen and packed with explosives.
The Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar television channel broadcast closed circuit television footage of the blast.
A Sunni extremist group known as the Nusra Front in Lebanon claimed responsibility for the attack on its Twitter account, saying it was in retaliation for Hezbollah's military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria.
Its name suggested ties to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Syria, one of the most powerful rebel factions.
Hezbollah fighters have openly battled in neighboring Syria since last year, helping Mr. Assad's forces against Sunni rebels trying to oust him.
Tensions have increased between Lebanon's Shi'ite and Sunni communities as armed clashes and bombings spread into Lebanon.
###
The blast occurred Tuesday in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold and the same area where a car bomb killed five people earlier this month.
Lebanon's state media said a suicide bomber was behind the attack. A security official said the vehicle was stolen and packed with explosives.
The Hezbollah-affiliated al-Manar television channel broadcast closed circuit television footage of the blast.
A Sunni extremist group known as the Nusra Front in Lebanon claimed responsibility for the attack on its Twitter account, saying it was in retaliation for Hezbollah's military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria.
Its name suggested ties to the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Syria, one of the most powerful rebel factions.
Hezbollah fighters have openly battled in neighboring Syria since last year, helping Mr. Assad's forces against Sunni rebels trying to oust him.
Tensions have increased between Lebanon's Shi'ite and Sunni communities as armed clashes and bombings spread into Lebanon.
###