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Lebanon blasts near Iran's embassy in Beirut | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Seven people have been reported killed as explosions struck near the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut. | |
Conflicting reports say the blasts could have come from rockets or a car bomb. Several buildings were damaged, eyewitnesses said. | |
Iran is a major backer of the Lebanaese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad. | Iran is a major backer of the Lebanaese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad. |
The conflict in Syria has worsened sectarian tensions in Lebanon. | |
The area around the Iranian embassy, in south Beirut, is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. | |
On 15 August, 16 people were killed in a blast in south Beirut believed to be linked to the spillover into Lebanon from the Syrian conflict. | |
Hezbollah fighters were instrumental in a strategic victory by Syrian government forces in Qusair, close to the border with Lebanon, in early June. |