Beirut suicide car bombs target Iranian cultural center

Two suicide bombers targeted the Iranian cultural center in Beirut on Wednesday, killing four people and themselves in an attack claimed by Sunni militants who said the attack was a response to the intervention of Iran and Hezbollah in the Syrian war.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an Al-Qaeda-linked group that claimed responsibility for the attack, said on Twitter that it had carried out the simultaneous bombings as retaliation for the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah's involvement in the Syrian war alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The group added that such attacks would continue until Hezbollah withdrew from Syria and its own fighters were released from Lebanese jails.

"We will continue — through the grace of God and his strength — to target Iran and its party in Lebanon (Hezbollah) in all of their security, political and military centers to achieve our two demands," the group said in a statement. 

The morning blasts in the Bir Hassan district set cars and trees ablaze and shattered the windows of nearby buildings. Fire engines and ambulances rushed to the area and were seen evacuating some of the wounded, including children, on stretchers.

Rahmeh Abboud, a 20-year-old student, said she was in a passenger van when she heard the explosions. The driver immediately stopped the car and told everybody to get out.

"The explosions were very strong, the ground shook. I came here and it was like the world had turned upside down," she told The Associated Press. 

The two bombs exploded inside a BMW and Mercedes packed with 70 to 90 kilograms of explosives, Al Jazeera's Stephanie Dekker reported. The blasts, which also killed at least one Lebanese military officer, took place around 9:30 a.m. local time in an area surrounded by apartments and shops.

The attack was the latest in a string of deadly bombings targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.

Hezbollah legislator Ali Ammar, speaking from the site of the blasts, said the group "will not withdraw from a strategic battle that aims to foil plans to divide the region." Iran is a major backer of Hezbollah, and both are allies of Assad.

Lebanon's incoming prime minister, Tammam Salam, who formed his government just last week, condemned the attack. He said the bombings were a "message reflecting the determination of the forces of evil to harm Lebanon and its children and sow discord."

"The message has been received, and we will respond to it with solidarity and commitment to civil accord and rallying around our army and our security forces," he said in a statement.

Two visiting U.S. senators in Lebanon, Tim Kaine of Virginia and Angus King of Maine, condemned the latest spillover of violence from Syria's civil war. "We hope the formation of the government will build some trust that will enable the country" to combat “terrorism,” Kaine said.

Lebanese troops recently detained an alleged mastermind of similar attacks. Officials said he led them to several vehicles rigged with explosives.

One of the deadliest attacks occurred in November when two suicide attackers blew themselves outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, killing 23 people and wounding dozens. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed responsibility for that attack as well.

Al Jazeera and wire services