Al Qaeda-linked group claims Beirut bombings

The al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed a twin bomb attack in Beirut, killing at least six people and wounding 70, targeting Iran's cultural center on Wednesday, saying such attacks would continue until Hezbollah forces withdrew from the fighting in Syria. The radical Lebanese group, which claimed the attack on its Twitter account. Hezbollah is a powerful Shi'ite Muslim political and militant group in Lebanon that is funded by Iran. The group has sent hundreds of fighters to neighboring Syria, giving a boost to its ally President Bashar al-Assad against mainly Sunni rebels seeking to topple him. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades have strong links to Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps as well as connections with the Gulf. One of its senior military leaders, Majid bin Muhammad al-Majid, was a Saudi national. He was arrested by Lebanese authorities last December, who said he died from kidney failure while in their custody, according to Reuters.