BEIJING - Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Wednesday that China strongly condemns Tuesday's suicide bomb attack near the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

According to reports, the attack on Tuesday morning killed at least 23 people, including one Iranian diplomat, injured 146 others, and severely damaged the Iranian embassy buildings.

"China opposes terrorism in any form. We express deep condolences to the diplomatic personnel and innocent civilians," Hong said in a daily press briefing.

"We also express serious concern about the attack, which jeopardized the safety of diplomatic institutions in Lebanon," Hong added.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday also strongly condemned the terrorist bombing. Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations who holds this month's presidency of the Security Council, underlined the need to bring the perpetrators to justice.