Beirut: Car bomb rips through Hezbollah stronghold, 17 dead

Beirut: At least 17 people were killed and 135 others got injured in a car bomb attack on Thursday in Hezbollah’s stronghold southern suburbs of Beirut, the Lebanese Red Cross and media reported. A booby-trapped car, filled with around 50 kg of explosives, went off in the Bir el Abd area of the Lebanon capital, Xinhua reported citing a security source. A TV channel footage showed burning cars and plume of black smoke over the blast scene. Media reports said a number of families were still trapped inside some burning buildings in the area. [caption id=“attachment_1037553” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A car bomb ripped through Beirut. Reuters.[/caption] Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said: “The remains found 10 metres away from the scene of the deadly blast might be the suicide bomber.” A group dubbed the Brigades of Aisha Umm al-Moemeneen claimed responsibility for the bombing in an online video later and threatened to launch further attacks. On July 9, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Bir al-Abed area in Beirut, leaving 53 people wounded and causing heavy material damage. In May, two rockets hit Beirut’s southern suburb of Shiyyah, wounding four people. IANS