Powerful explosion hits Beirut\'s southern suburbs

Blast sent a column of black smoke over the densely populated area A powerful car bomb killed at least three people and wounded several others Thursday in a Beirut stronghold of Lebanon\'s Shiite movement Hezbollah .
The explosion took place at 6:00 am, targeting an area between Bir al-Abed and Rweiss neighbourhoods.
Nearby buildings have been damaged and many cars in the area destroyed. The blast sent a column of black smoke over the densely populated area in the south of the Lebanese capital.
Wounded individuals have been taken to a local hospital, whilst residents in the area are helping to shift others who have been injured. Witnesses say many more are trapped under destroyed buildings.
The attack occurred close to the Sayyed al-Shuhadaa (Martyrs) complex, where Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah often addresses his followers. Southern Beirut is a stronghold of Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian regime, which has been fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad\'s forces in Syria\'s civil war.
Sectarian tensions have been high in Lebanon following the intervention of Shiite Muslim Hezbollah in support of Assad against a two-year revolt led by Syria\'s Sunni Muslim majority. The explosion comes a month after a huge car bomb wounded 53 people in the same district.
A previously unknown Syrian rebel group has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Shortly after news of the attack, an online video surfaced showing three masked men, two of them holding rifles, in front of a white flag inscribed with the Islamic profession of faith.
\"We send a message to (Hezbollah chief) Hassan Nasrallah\'s pigs,\" said one of the men, wearing a white mask.
Thursday\'s explosion came a day after Nasrallah said in an interview that his group was taking steps to ensure July\'s attack was not repeated. Security forces are now on high alert in the region.