AFP is reporting a huge car bomb in Beirut has killed 8 and wounded 78.
Al-Jazeed reports (via Reuters) that top Lebanese security official Wissam al-Hassan was killed.
Al Hayat correspondent Joyce Karam Tweeted some context on what that means:
"The explosion, which took place at the popular Sassine Square, struck around 3 p.m. as many students were leaving school," local site Daily Star reported.
No one has yet claimed responsibility. The Guardian reports Syria has condemned the attack, though some are already blaming the Assad regime, the Star said.
There are also conflicting reports about what exactly caused the explosion — an AlJazeera correspondent said she believed the blast came from inside a building, according to The Guardian.
They also cite the El-Nashra website saying the explosion ripped through a building housing a branch of BEMO – a Syrian bank.
AP has raw video:
Eyewitnesses have already begun posting terrifying images of the scene:
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