Blast in Hezbollah-run area of Beirut kills 5

Blast in Hezbollah-run area of Beirut kills 5

BEIRUT (AP) — An explosion tore through a crowded commercial street today in a south Beirut neighborhood that is bastion of support for the Shiite group Hezbollah, killing at least five people, setting cars ablaze and sending a column of black smoke above the Beirut skyline. The nature of the blast that hit during rush hour in the Haret Hreik neighborhood was not immediately clear, but a Lebanese security official said it appeared to be caused by a car bomb. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.