The Lebanese capital Beirut has been shaken by major explosions. Target of the attack was apparently the Iranian Embassy. Security forces report numerous casualties. Among them is Tehran’s cultural attaché.

In an attack on the Iranian embassy in Lebanon at least 23 people have been killed and injured more than 140 others. These figures were the Lebanese Ministry of Health. According to security forces, a car bomb detonated near the building should be in the south of the capital Beirut.

Eyewitnesses tell of a total of two explosions that had occurred at intervals of about two minutes. The Botschaftsbau to have been damaged. First television pictures from the scene showed severe damage in the area. A dense column of smoke is about the district.

Iranian diplomats confirmed on Tuesday that the Iranian cultural attaché Ibrahim al-Ansari was killed in the attack. Previously, the Iranians had declared all embassy staff had survived the assassination attempt. Ambassador Ghadanfar Rukn Abadi made ​​in an initial statement “Zionist agents” responsible for the act.

Beirut Bomb Attack:Stop before the nuclear negotiations in Geneva

The television channel of Hezbollah, al-Manar, and the state news agency reported that there had blasted out a suicide bomber on a motorcycle in the air, then a car bomb was detonated.

Iran’s Embassy is located near the city center of Beirut, controlled by the Hezbollah militia allied with Tehran. In these districts this year already several bombings had occurred, were blamed for the Syrian rebels. At least one other attack was prevented at the last minute. Iran and Hezbollah are in the Syrian civil war to the main ally of the dictator Bashar al-Assad.

The attack occurred a day before Iran and the so-called P5 +1 countries in Geneva to start negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Last time the two sides had approximated the nuclear conflict.