Deadly car bomb strikes Lebanese town near Syrian border

A car bomb struck a northeastern Lebanese town close to the Syrian border during rush hour on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more.

It was the latest in a wave of attacks to hit Lebanon in recent months as the civil war in Syria increasingly spills over into its smaller neighbor.

The bomb went off in the center of the predominantly Shia town of Hermel, which is near the border, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. One of the dead was removed from a car near the blast and ambulances were rushing others to hospitals.

They officials said the explosion took place near two banks and close to the town's main government where people go to get official documents.

State-run National News Agency said the blast killed three people.

Hermel's mayor, Sobhi Saqr, told Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV that the attack occurred as students were on their way to schools and while employees were going to work.

"It was a very big blast," Saqr said.

The violence in Lebanon has targeted both Sunni and Shia neighborhoods, further stoking sectarian tensions that are already running high as each community in the country lines up behind its brethren in Syria on opposing sides of the war.

The Associated Press