Lebanon car bomb death toll increases to 22

A minimum of 22 people were killed and hundreds wounded when a vehicle bomb rocked a southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital, authorities stated Friday, raising the fatality toll from the blast a day previously.

The bomb Thursday was in a location referred to as a stronghold of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, the Lebanese Army stated.

At least 228 others were hurt, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces stated.

“Army units arrived instantly at the scene, imposing a security zone within the area of surge while military specialists started examinations under the concerned judiciary’s security,” the army stated.

After the blast, a YouTube video surfaced in which three masked guys holding weapons declared they are part of a group responsible for the attack. They stood before a big Arabic indicator consisting of the Islamic creed, “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah.”.

The group, which calls itself “The brigade of Aisha, Mother of Believers,” accused Hezbollah of being intruders. Aisha is the last spouse of the Prophet Muhammad and is especially revered by Sunni Muslims.

In its YouTube post, the team called Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a “pig” and said he deals with behalf of Iran and Israel.

“A message: To our brothers and sisters in Lebanon: Stay away from anything to do with Iran– whether in Beirut or outside Beirut,” it said.

Hezbollah is a Shiite movement in Lebanon. Along with Shiite-dominated Iran, the group is assisting Syria’s government fight rebels, whose ranks are dominated by Sunnis.

CNN can not verify the credibility of the video or the men’s cases. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut tweeted condemnations of the attack.

Civil Defense units were trying to rescue some residents stuck inside their homes due to the fire arising from the blast, NNA reported.

Lebanon car bomb death toll increases to 22