Beirut blast wounds 12 in busy street

BEIRUT - A bomb exploded near a popular street in Beirut today, wounding 12 people, destroying cars and spraying shards of glass inside crowded restaurants hours after a brief visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The blast in a Christian neighbourhood of Beirut was the latest to hit Lebanon and came three days after a new government was formed, the first since Syrian forces withdrew in April.

"I was eating with my friends at a restaurant when I heard a huge explosion. The windows broke, the restaurant shook. We all crowded to get out and then we learned it was a bomb after we saw the smoke," Tony Hana, 30, said.

Prime Minister Fouad al-Siniora condemned the bombing as he visited the site near Rue Monot, an area known for its nightlife, saying it was "aimed at destabilising Lebanon and shaking the confidence in the new government".

Hours earlier, Rice had made a surprise short visit to Beirut to show US support for the new government.

Lebanon has been hit by a string of politically motivated bombings since a huge car bomb killed former Primer Minister Rafik al-Hariri in February. Many of those attacks have taken place in Christian areas in and near Beirut.

Today's explosion was caused by a bomb near a car parked outside a restaurant. Security officials said no politician was apparently targeted in the attack.

The blast, which was heard across Beirut, destroyed two cars and blew the windows off nearby buildings. Rue Monot was crowded with mostly young people at the time. Security forces first reported the blast had killed one person.

Soldiers and police rushed to the area, which was evacuated.

"I was near the university with my friends when I heard a loud explosion. I saw like fire in the sky. We were afraid a second explosion could go off," student Mustafa Yacub said.

The spate of bombings has wrecked Lebanon's key tourism industry and revived memories of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

The killing of Hariri prompted huge street demonstrations and forced Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon for decades, to end its military presence in its smaller neighbour.

- REUTERS