20 people killed in explosions near Iranian Embassy in Beirut

Lebanon’s news agency says 20 people have been killed and 95 wounded in two explosions that struck near the Iranian Embassy in the capital city of Beirut. The National News Agency says the dead include two Iranian nationals.

The mid – morning blasts hit Beirut’s upscale neighborhood of Janah, a stronghold of the Shiite militant Hezbollah group. One explosion blew out the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility.

Debris was scattered on the street and cars were on fire as people ran away from the chaotic scene.

Attacks have targeted Lebanon’s Shiite strongholds recently in what many see as retaliation by extremists for Hezbollah’s role in Syria.