17 killed, 135 wounded in car bomb attack in southern Beirut

At least 17 people were killed and 135 others wounded in a car bomb explosion that rocked Hezbollah's stronghold in southern suburbs of Beirut, capital of Lebanon on Thursday, the Lebanese Red Cross and local media reported.

A security source told Xinhua that a booby-trapped car, filled with around 50 kg of explosives, went off in the Bir el Abd area in the heartland of Hezbollah.

Local TV's footage showed burning cars and plume of black smoke over the blast scene. Media reports said a number of families were still trapped inside the burning buildings in the area.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said "the remains found 10 meters away from the scene of the deadly blast might be the suicide bomber."

A group dubbed the Brigades of Aisha Umm al-Moemeneen claimed responsibility for the bombing in an online video later and threatened to launch further attacks.

On July 9, a booby-trapped car exploded at a parking lot in Bir al-Abed area in Beirut, leaving 53 people wounded and causing heavy material damage.

In May, two rockets hit Beirut's southern suburb of Shiyyah, wounding four people.