Bombing Injures Three in Beirut

A bomb set off a raging inferno in an industrial area of a mainly Christian neighborhood of the Lebanese capital Saturday, injuring at least three foreign workers.

The blast in the northeastern Bouchrieh area was the third to target a Christian neighborhood in just over a week. On March 19, an explosion in the Jdeideh area injured nine people, and a bomb on Wednesday killed three people in another Christian commercial center.

Witnesses said the blast on the eve of Easter occurred three hours before Roman Catholics were to head to a midnight Mass.

A military officer said at least three foreign workers had been wounded. An explosives expert said the bomb weighed about 55 pounds.

Lebanon has been tense since the Feb. 14 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri -- an incident many Lebanese blame on Syria, which has occupied Lebanon for decades.

The three bombings of Christian areas have raised fear of the return of the sectarian violence that plagued Lebanon during the 1975-90 civil war. The motive for the three blasts wasn’t clear, but many Christians support the country’s anti-Syrian opposition movement. Opposition leaders have blamed Syrian security agents and pro-Damascus Lebanese authorities, saying they wanted to sow fear in the community.

Opposition leader Walid Jumblatt held pro-Syrian Lebanese security agents responsible, saying they were trying to intimidate people. The Druze leader said he expected more car bombs as May parliamentary elections approached.