Lebanon Roadside Bomb Kills Soldiers and Civilians

A bomb exploded near a bus carrying civilians and members of the military in the north Lebanese city of Tripoli today, killing at least 18 people, according to security officials.

Officials said the bomb was planted on the side of a road and went off when the bus passed by. They said the explosion happened as the streets were filled with people heading to work, which contributed to the many injuries.

The Associated Press reported 18 people had been killed and 40 wounded.

TV footage showed a small public bus riddled with shrapnel from the blast. Shattered glass could be seen in Banks Street, in Tripoli's center.

Witnesses said fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene, while soldiers and policemen cordoned off the area to keep onlookers away and to investigate. There was no immediate word on who was behind the explosion.

Tripoli is Lebanon's second largest city with a mostly Sunni Muslim population. It has witnessed sectarian clashes between Sunni fighters and followers of the Alawite sect, an offshoot Shia sect, in the past few weeks, that has killed and wounded dozens of people.

The city is also close to the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared, which experienced deadly clashes last year between Lebanese troops and members of the al-Qaida-inspired Fatah Islam group that left hundreds dead before the militants were defeated.

Fatah Islam claimed responsibility for a bomb blast that killed a soldier in Abdeh, near Tripoli, on May 31. The latest violence comes at an especially sensitive time for Lebanon.

Yesterday, after a five-day debate and weeks of negotiations that preceded it, the Lebanese parliament approved a national unity government that gave the Iranian-backed Hizbullah opposition a more powerful say in the running of the country, including veto power over major decisions.

The explosion also came as the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman, was due to make a landmark visit to neighboring Syria — the first visit by a Lebanese president in about three years.