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.
Four Lebanese bystanders have been killed in a bomb blast targeting a US embassy vehicle in a northern suburb of the capital, Beirut, US officials say.
The cause of the explosion, which also injured several people in the mainly Christian Doura area in northern Beirut, was not immediately known.
No American diplomats or citizens were in the car at the time, but a Lebanese driver working for the embassy was hurt, the US State Department said.
There are no reports of American casualties in the blast.
The powerful explosion shook the mainly Christian Doura area and send a thick plume of black smoke over the city.
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.
The late-afternoon blast was heard throughout northern Beirut, and thick plumes of 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.
Television footage from the scene showed damaged cars and blood stains on the street of a mixed commercial and residential area.
The US embassy has not confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved.
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says it is one of the main roads running through the north of the city.
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.
There has been no claim of responsibility so far.
US interests
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.
Pro-Syrian former President Emile Lahoud stood down in November, and a parliamentary vote to find a successor has been postponed 11 times.
Most of those killed in bombings have been prominent opponents of Syrian influence in Lebanon, the most significant being former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.
In addition to the political schism, Sunni militant groups have been waging war against Lebanon's state security forces and have openly threatened US interests.
The blast also coincided with an extensive Middle East tour by US President George W Bush, who has been in the Gulf and is heading to Egypt, after a landmark trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank.
The blast also coincided with an extensive Middle East tour by US President George W Bush, who has been in the Gulf and is heading to Egypt, after a landmark trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank.
/>Are you in Beirut? Did you witness the explosion? Send us your comments.
Are you in Beirut? Did you witness the explosion? Send us your comments.
