Bomb explodes in Lebanon hotel frequented by UN peacekeepers

Lebanese police officers guard the scene where a bomb exploded in the pub of the Queen Elissa Hotel, in the southern port city of Tyre.

associated press

A general view of the scene where a bomb exploded in the pub of the Queen Elissa Hotel, in the southern port city of Tyre.

BEIRUT— A bomb exploded Wednesday at a hotel frequented by U.N. staffers in southern Lebanon, causing damage but no casualties, a Lebanese security official said.

The official said the blast struck the pub at the Queen Elissa Hotel in the port city of Tyre early in the morning. Rubble littered the pavement outside the hotel, and part of the ground floor was badly damaged by the blast.

Another explosion minutes later damaged a liquor store in the city, also causing no casualties. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

It wasn't immediately clear whether U.N. staffers were the target of the attack at the hotel. The blast shattered the windshield of one U.N. SUV parked outside the inn. Lebanese troops and peacekeepers cordoned off the area after the explosion.

The official estimated the hotel bomb to weigh about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds), adding that a sample was sent to Beirut to determine the type of explosives used.

Lebanese police officers guard the scene where a bomb exploded in the pub of the Queen Elissa Hotel, in the southern port city of Tyre.

Tyre is a predominantly Muslim city and serving alcohol is common at hotels and restaurants.

There have been several attacks against U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon in the past, most recently in July, when a roadside bomb blew up next to a U.N. convoy carrying French peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, wounding at least five people.

U.N. peacekeepers have been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978 to monitor the border with Israel. The force was boosted to almost 12,000 troops after Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006.

Under the U.N. resolution that ended the fighting, the mission is monitoring a zone south of the Litani River where Hezbollah is banned from keeping weapons.