BEIRUT: Lebanon's news agency says 23 people have been killed and 95 wounded in two explosions that struck near the Iranian Embassy in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The National News Agency says the dead include two Iranian nationals. The mid-morning blasts hit Beirut's upscale neighborhood of Janah, a stronghold of the Shia militant Hezbollah group. One explosion blew out the large black main gate of the Iranian mission, damaging the three-story facility.

Debris was scattered on the street and cars were on fire as people ran away from the chaotic scene.

A Lebanese security official confirmed that the casualty figures. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Attacks have targeted Lebanon's Shia strongholds recently in what many see as retaliation by extremists for Hezbollah's role in Syria.

Iran's ambassador to Lebanon says his country's cultural attache has died from wounds sustained in twin explosions that struck near the Iranian Embassy in Beirut.

Ambassador Ghazanfar Roknabadi identified the diplomat as Sheikh Ibrahim Ansari. The ambassador says Ansari took his post in Lebanon a month ago and was overseeing all regional cultural activities.

The mid-morning blasts hit Beirut's neighborhood of Janah, a stronghold of the Shia militant Hezbollah. Attacks have targeted Hezbollah strongholds in recent months in what many see as retaliation by Sunni extremists for Hezbollah's role in Syria's civil war.

A jihadist group linked to Al Qaeda called Abdullah Azzam Brigades has claimed responsibility for the attack.