At least nine people have been killed and several injured by an explosion in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, reports say.
Security officials said a bomb went off close to a bus in a busy central area.
The port city has been the scene of sectarian fighting in recent months in which dozens of people have died.
The attack comes a day after the new national unity government won a vote of confidence and as President Michel Suleiman was due to travel to Syria.
An official told the AFP news agency that a bomb 'Three dead' in Lebanon bombing ...
Clashes rock north Lebanon city ...
First tasks for Lebanon president ... went off in Masarif Street, in Tripoli's busy commercial district.
Several soldiers are reported to be among the dead.
In recent months Tripoli has seen a series of clashes between Sunni Muslim and Alawite fighters linked to Hezbollah and Syria.
Tuesday's vote gave the formal go-ahead for a government which brings together a Western-backed alliance with former opposition groups led by Hezbollah.
Mr Suleiman, the president, was due to travel to Syria on Wednesday for talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad.
The BBC's Bethany Bell, in Beirut, says his visit marks a gradual thaw in relations between the two countries, which have been strained since the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Many Lebanese blame Syria for the killing, but Damascus has consistently denied any involvement.
(BBC)
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