Car Bomb in Beirut Kills 8

A huge car bomb exploded in a street in central Beirut during rush hour today, killing at least eight people and wounding about 80, witnesses and officials said.

It was not immediately clear if the explosion targeted any political figure in Lebanon’s divided community but it occurred at a time of heightened tension between Lebanese factions on opposite sides of the Syria conflict.

The bomb exploded in the street where the office of the anti-Damascus Christian Phalange Party is located near Sassine Square in Ashafriyeh, a mostly Christian area.