Several killed as car bomb hits crowded Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut

There has been a powerful explosion in southern Beirut in an area that is a stronghold of Hezbollah.

At least five people are said to have been killed, with some reports speaking of sixty injured – though many of those are said to be slightly hurt.

Pictures broadcast on Lebanese TV showed the aftermath of what is thought to have been a car bomb.

It went off in the district of Haret Hareik, reportedly not far from a headquarters of the Shi’ite group.

The Lebanese capital has been hit by a series of bombs in recent months, much of it linked to the war in neighbouring Syria.

Last Friday a former finance minister died in a car bomb that also killed four other people. Mohamad Chatah was a strong critic of Hezbollah.

The Syrian conflict has polarised opinion in Lebanon, increasing sectarian tensions.

Hezbollah has sent fighters to join the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, who is from the Alawite offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Sunni Muslims have gone to Syria to fight for rebels trying to topple his government.

انفجار الضاحية هلق pic.twitter.com/HIbBISHypW— Moudi (@moudiidd) 2 Janvier 2014

المزيد من الصور الاولى للانفجار
#حارة_حريك #الضاحية_الجنوبية #بيروت #لبنان #Lebanon #Beirut #إنفجار pic.twitter.com/agHs27aq4v— #Addiyar (@AddiyarNews) 2 Janvier 2014

انفجار بمنطقة بئرالعبد بالضاحية الجنوبية ل #بيروت
،Explosion in Bai’r El’abd, southern
suburb of #Beirut
#لبنان pic.twitter.com/Tdk4OnDbEx— سارة عثمان (@Sarah_Othmann) 2 Janvier 2014

#انفجار_الضاحية pic.twitter.com/jhj2mPAthW— الزعيم (@zaaeim) 2 Janvier 2014

الدخان الاسود فوق #الضاحية_الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/3LU5i6g35L— Al Joumhouria (@aljoumhouria) 2 Janvier 2014