Explosion rocks Christian area of Lebanon

Monday, August 22, 2005; Posted: 7:38 p.m. EDT (23:38 GMT)

The blast left a hole in the wall above a hotel lobby Monday.

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At least five wounded as blast tears through Beirut suburb (:48)

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(CNN) -- An explosion has rocked a commercial center in a Christian suburb north of Beirut, wounding at least five people, according to reports from the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation.

The blast went off near the Hotel Promenade in Zalka, which is also near a Starbucks cafe. However, there were conflicting reports of where the bomb had been planted.

A Lebanese civil defense spokesperson told LBC that the bomb had been planted inside a building, while a Lebanese security source said it was detonated in a parking lot adjacent to the hotel.

The blast happened just before 11 p.m. (8 p.m. GMT).

Video from the LBC showed army troops cordoning off the area and ambulance crews responding to the scene.

The blast appeared to have caused extensive damage to the outside walls of a building.

Lebanon has suffered a number of explosions in recent months.

On July 12 Lebanon's outgoing deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr was among 12 people wounded by a blast that tore through a Christian neighborhood in northern Beirut. At least two people were killed.

During Rice's visit she stopped at the grave of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the opposition leader assassinated in a bomb blast on February 14, and laid a wreath.

She also met his son, Sa'ad Hariri, a member of parliament and head of one of the largest blocs in the new government.

Journalist Anthony Mills in Damascus contributed to this report