A car packed with explosives driven by a suspected suicide bomber blew up near a Hezbollah checkpoint in eastern Lebanon early on Tuesday, causing injuries, an Al-Akhbar correspondent said.
Lebanon's National News Agency said Hezbollah troops opened fire on a suspected vehicle at the road block before it detonated in the Bekaa Valley on the border with Syria, Lebanon's NNA news agency reported.
It was not yet clear if the driver was killed in the explosion, which took place around 3:00 am.
Several vehicles were burned out at the checkpoint, which was located in the town of Sbouba, near Labwe.
Al-Akhbar's correspondent said the car that exploded was a Kia. Hezbollah troops had already intercepted two car bombs earlier on the same road, the NNA reported.
Several other vehicles in the area were inspected following the explosion. The correspondent said the blast left a hole in the ground five meters wide and 30 - 40 centimeters deep.
Hezbollah has been the target of repeated attack by suspected salafi hardliners since its leader Hassan Nasrallah publicly confirmed in April that its fighters were engaged in the Syrian conflict alongside government forces.
In recent months, several blasts have struck Hezbollah targets and civilian areas in both the Bekaa and Beirut.
On November 19, two suicide bombers targeted the Iranian embassy just south Beirut, killing 23 people.
(Al-Akhbar, AFP)
Car Bomb Explodes in Baalbek: Casualties Reported
Local EditorAl-Manar correspondent reported that a car bomb has exploded Tuesday in the outskirts of Sboba town, which lies to the west of the eastern city of Baalbek.
Sources told al-Manar website that five Hezbollah cars were headi
ng to a place where alternation of the party’s members is carried out.The sources added that when the cars reached that point a Grand Sherokee Jeep was noticed, pointing out that the booby-trapped car was similar to cars used by Hezbollah.
The Jeep exploded by a remote control shortly after Hezbollah cars reached the alternation point, the source said, adding that casualties were reported and ambulances rushed to the scene to evacuate the wounded from the place.
The Lebanese army then cordoned off the area and the competent authorities started probing the attack.
A security source told al-Manar that the booby-trapped car contains 60 kilograms of explosive materials.
For its part, National news agency reported that at 3;00 am on Tuesday a 4x4 car exploded on the road between the town of Sboba and Wadi Abu Musa, which connects to Hrepetta in Baalbek.
On the other hand, the Lebanese army said in a statement: "On Tuesday at 2:50 a.m., an explosion occurred on Sabouba- Nabi Moussa road at the vicinity of Makneh- Baalbek village; an Army patrol rushed to the place on the spot.
“The explosion resulted from a booby- trapped 4 x 4 Cherokee Jeep causing damage to other cars.”
“A Military expert attended the place and military police started investigations into the incident under the supervision of the concerned judiciary authorities,” the statement added.
 دام برس: انفجرت سيارة مفخخة رباعية الدفع فجر اليوم على الطريق بين بلدة صبوبا ووادي أبو موسى الذي يوصل إلى حربتا في بعلبك شرق لبنان ما أدى إلى إصابة عدد من الأشخاص بجروح. وذكرت الوكالة الوطنية اللبنانية للإعلام أن التفجير وقع على بعد نحو كيلومترين من أحد مراكز حزب الله في المنطقة مضيفة أنه تم اعتراض السيارة من قبل أحد حواجز الحزب الذي كان يراقبها وأطلق النار عليها ما أدى إلى انفجارها أو تفجيرها من قبل سائقها. وأشارت الوكالة إلى وقوع إصابات بين المواطنين وشوهدت سيارات الإسعاف تهرع إلى المنطقة التي تم تطويقها موضحة أن الطريق المذكور تسلكه عادة السيارات المشبوهة وقد تم سابقا ضبط سيارتين مشبوهتين عليه. سانا | |