Six people were killed on Wednesday in two suicide bombings that went off near an Iranian cultural center in Beirut's southern suburbs, an attack claimed by the al-Qaida linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades.

The Health Ministry said six people died and over 129 were injured in what the Lebanese army stated were two simultaneous suicide bombings at around 9:25 am in the Bir Hassan neighborhood in locations with a distance of only 100 meters from each other.

Health Minister Wael Abou Faour said human remains found in the area likely belonged to the bombers.

But the army command asked the families of those missing in the double bombing to head to al-Rassoul al-Aazam hospital on the airport road to carrying out DNA tests.

Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) said one of the suicide bombers set off his explosives when police corporal Mohammed Dandash felt suspicious of him at a checkpoint in the area.

Dandash argued with him when the bomber tried to search for a location to park his car.

The corporal was among the six people killed in the blast.

The other suicide bomber, who was in another vehicle, was driving in the opposite direction and immediately triggered his explosives when the first blast went off, VDL said.

The army said the first blast was caused by around 75 kilograms of explosives and mortars stashed in a Mercedes carrying the fake license plate of Z121363.

The second explosion went off in a BMW X5, which was loaded with 90 kilos of explosives and mortars.

Its license plate is S158298, it said, adding the car was stolen from the airport road.

The Kuwaiti embassy, which lies in the area, said none of its staff was injured in the attack.

The Iranian Embassy said there were "no severe injuries among the diplomats and the staff at the cultural center."

The blasts took place close to the Beirut offices of Iran's official news agency, IRNA, and Iranian television IRIB.

A thick smoke billowed in the sky when the blasts went off as several vehicles went in flames.

Buildings in the area were also heavily damaged as seen on TV footage.

At one point, the army opened fire in the air to disperse the crowds that gathered in the area and pave way for ambulances and firefighters to transport the wounded and douse the blaze.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed the attack on its twitter account.

“The brothers of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, of the Hussein bin Ali Brigades claim the attack against the Iranian cultural center, which was a double martyrdom operation," it said.

The group said that the attack came in response to Hizbullah's fighting in Syria's war.

"We will continue... to target Iran and its party in Lebanon, in its security and political and military centers, until our demands are achieved," it said.

"First: that the party of Iran withdraws its forces from Syria. Second, that our prisoners are released from Lebanese prisons."

The same neighborhood witnessed near simultaneous attacks in November when suicide bombers linked to the Brigades targeted the Iranian embassy.

The blasts were the latest to hit a predominantly Shiite area.

Military prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr tasked the army intelligence with cordoning off the area and looking for evidence after he inspected the scene of the attacks.