The Lebanese army said in a statement Tuesday that the twin-bomb attack near the Iranian embassy in the Jnah area south of Beirut was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew themselves up with a simple time lag.

The Lebanese army said in a statement Tuesday that the twin-bomb attack near the Iranian embassy in the Jnah area south of Beirut was carried out by two suicide bombers who blew themselves up with a simple time lag.

"The first suicide bomber was walking in the place normally and then suddenly approached the main gate at the entrance to the Iranian embassy and blew himself up in an attempt to open the gate and make way for the second bomber to enter," Al-Manar correspondent stated.

Immediately after the first blast, the second bomber - driving a four-wheel drive of GMC type - moved towards the embassy with a view to storm it.

He collided with a small water-distribution white truck which was in the place accidently and stopped after the first explosion.

Feeling confused after the first blast, the truck driver escaped the place leaving his vehicle parked near the embassy gate.

The second bomber could not progress over.

Embassy guards fired at him once they recognized his presence, but he blew himself up just meters from the outer wall of the embassy, which was only slightly damaged.

Security experts believed that the attack didn't aim mainly at detonating the embassy gate by the suicide bomber underlined in the Lebanese army statement, but rather at using the GMC car which has failed to storm the embassy building.

A twin-bomb suicide attack took place in southern Lebanese city of Beirut Tuesday morning, leaving 23 people martyred and 147 others injured.

Al-Qaeda affiliated Abdullah al-Azzam Brigade terrorist group claimed responsibility over the attack in a statement.