A US embassy vehicle has been caught in an explosion that claimed three lives in a suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, local television reports say.
A US embassy vehicle has been caught in an explosion that claimed three lives in a suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, local television reports say.
The cause of the blast, which injured several people north of the city in the mainly Christian Doura neighbourhood, was not immediately known.
The cause of the explosion, which also injured several people in the mainly Christian Doura area in northern Beirut, was not immediately known.
Witnesses reported seeing smoke billowing near the Mediterranean coast.
There are no reports of American casualties in the blast.
Lebanon has been hit by a series of bomb attacks in recent years, mostly targeting anti-Syrian politicians.
Lebanon has been hit by a series of bomb attacks in recent years, mostly targeting anti-Syrian politicians.
There are no American casualties reported in the explosion.
US embassy officials have not confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved.
The blast comes at a time of political crisis in Lebanon with rival pro-Syrian and pro-Western parties deadlocked over efforts to elect a president.
Pro-Syrian former President Emile Lahoud stood down in November, and a parliamentary vote to find a successor has been postponed 11 times.
The late afternoon blast was heard throughout northern Beirut, and thick plumes of black smoke rose above the Doura neighbourhood.
Television footage from the scene showed damaged cars and blood stains on the street of a mixed commercial and residential area.
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