The groups claimed the attacks were in revenge for Hizbullah’s decision to send thousands of fighters into neighboring Syria to support President Bashar Assad’s forces against an Islamist-dominated uprising.
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“The United States strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack on civilians in the Burj Barajneh neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon”, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.
“The Secretary General calls for those responsible for this terrorist act to be swiftly brought to justice”, the statement concluded.
An IS statement – which could not be independently verified – said that its “soldiers of the Caliphate” detonated explosives which were concealed on a motorbike.
As people gathered, a suicide bomber is said to have detonated a second bomb.
The Lebanese military said two suicide bombers were behind the attack that happened Thursday, adding that a third bomber was found dead at the site of the second explosion.
There have been no major attacks in the area since June 2014, with this being the deadliest Lebanon has seen since its civil war ended in 1990. There was blood on the streets, and security forces were trying to cordon off the scene and keep people from gathering.
Prime Minister Tammam Salam declared Friday to be a day of mourning dedicated to the victims of the suicide bombings, reports CNN.
It identified the bombers as Hamed Rachid and Ammar Salem el-Rayess, both being Palestinian nationals, and Khaled Ahmad el-Khaled from Syria.
Witnesses described a hellish scene in the aftermath of the blasts which took place minutes apart from each other.
Hezbollah also called on people to leave all coffee shops in the area and urged residents to inform the group about any suspicious moves. Television stations broadcast images of people carrying the wounded away from flaming rubble.
The wounded were evacuated to several hospitals in the area, including the Bahman hospital in neighbouring Haret Hreik. Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, who leads the Future Movement, said they were “cowardly… and unjustified” in postings on his Twitter account.
But prior to that, a string of attacks targeted Hezbollah strongholds throughout the country.
At least 41 people have been killed and 200 more are injured.
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The Islamic State (a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
