At least three people were killed in an explosion that damaged a United States diplomatic car in Beirut on Tuesday and wounded a US passenger, security sources said.
The sources said a total of 16 people were wounded in the explosion, which occurred in a Christian neighbourhood of Beirut. They said no US personnel were killed.
A US embassy official said she could not confirm the report.
Witnesses said ambulances rushed to the scene, as smoke rose into the sky.
Television pictures showed blackened cars and twisted metal alongside fallen masonry from nearby buildings.
The blast was heard loudest in the Dora suburb in north Beirut, the sources and witnesses said.
Lebanon has seen more than 30 explosions in the past three years, many targeting anti-Syrian politicians and journalists. Last week a roadside bomb wounded two UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
Tuesday’s explosion occurred as US President George Bush visited Saudi Arabia as part of a week-long Middle East tour. — Reuters