Deadly Blast Leaves 22 Dead in Lebanon

A bombing in Beirut, Lebanon left 22 dead and more than 300 injured, making it the deadliest attack in the area in almost 30 years.

The Thursday blast occurred in a southern suburb of Beirut and is thought to be the work of a suicide bomber. The bomb exploded near the Sayyid al-Shuhada complex, a popular site for Hezbollah rallies, and came one day before Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was scheduled to give a speech marking the anniversary of the 2006 conclusion of Lebanon's war with Israel.

The massive attack left apartment buildings burning and made identification of bodies difficult. On Friday, investigators continued to conduct DNA tests on charred bodies at the scene of the explosion.

The bombing marks the second attack in a month on a major center of support for the Shiite group. On July 9, a bomb explosion in the Beir al-Abed district wounded more than 50 people.

The violence is believed to be related to Hezbollah's support for President Bashar Assad in Syria's ongoing civil war. The group's provision of armed forces has helped the Syrian government win important victories over opposing forces, inciting anger and promises of retaliation from Syrian rebels.

Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman has blamed the attacks on Israel.