The explosion, which happened at 8 am local time, also injured 40 people, the majority of whom are members of the Lebanese military or internal security service.

Security sources said the explosives were placed inside either a sack or carton and detonated while passengers were boarding the vehicle.

Security officials and rescue teams rushed to the scene and started evacuating the injured, including several children, while explosive experts and police personnel started their investigations. The area has been cordoned off.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in front of Bank Beirut on Tripoli’s Bank Street.


The blast came only a few hours before the Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman was scheduled to leave for Syria for talks with his counterpart Bashar Al Assad.

The explosion follows a series of gunfight battles between pro-government and opposition militiamen in the Bab Al Tebbaneh and Jebel Mohsen areas of the city. The clashes were only halted following what politicians and experts described as a “weak truce”.

The Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces have been subject to constant attacks in an attempt to drag them into the conflict.

The attack is considered the first security challenge facing the Lebanese government after it achieved the Lebanese Parliament's vote for trust (100 voices) on Tuesday.

Agencies