Multiple explosions, in a tragic turn of events, killed at least 103 people in Iran on Wednesday as two bombs exploded in quick succession at a gathering commemorating the death of General Qasem Soleimani.

The blasts occurred near the Saheb al-Zaman Mosque in Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown where he is buried. The state media has referred to the attacks as a ‘terrorist attack’. The tensions in the Middle East were already running high due to the recent drone attack in Beirut that killed Hamas number two, Saleh al-Aruri. Lebanese officials have blamed Israel for the attack, further escalating the tensions in the region.

Kerman’s deputy governor, Rahman Jalali, confirmed that the explosions were indeed a terrorist attack. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack so far. ‘The number of people killed has risen to 103, with many more injured and in critical condition,’ reported the official IRNA news agency. Earlier, the agency had reported 73 deaths.

Another 141 people were wounded in the multiple explosions, according to IRNA. Informed sources quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency have revealed that the explosives were hidden in two bags that were detonated remotely.

Tasnim added that the perpetrators were possibly behind the attack. Eyewitnesses have described the chaotic scene as the explosions occurred. ‘We were walking towards the cemetery when a car suddenly stopped behind us and a waste bin containing a bomb exploded,’ one witness told ISNA news agency.

Another witness added, ‘There were multiple explosions. We only heard the sound of the explosion and saw people falling. There was a bomb in the trash can.’ Online footage from the scene showed crowds frantically trying to flee as security personnel rushed to cordon off the area. In response to the attack, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed a ‘harsh response’.

This comes a day after Hamas leader Saleh al-Aruri was killed in a drone attack in Beirut, which Iran has deemed as an act of aggression by Israel. As the investigation into the bombings continues, the world watches in shock and mourning as another wave of violence strikes the already tense region.