Bomb blew up in east Lebanon inflicting damage

A bomb blew up on the main road leading to the Syrian-Lebanese border checkpoint of Al-Masnaa early on Tuesday but the explosion left no injuries, the official National News Agency (NNA) said. The 150-gram explosive, planted on the road side at Al-Akramia turning point, went off at dawn inflicting some damage but caused no injuries. Army troops sealed off the scene. Meanwhile, in the southern city of Sidon, scene of two days of fierce clashes between army troops and local militiamen that ended on Monday, the soldiers combed the vicinity of Bilal Bin Rabah mosque, the focal point of the violence that claimed scores of lives and left many wounded. The violence broke out when armed followers of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Aseer, a local militia leader, opened fire at an army checkpoint leaving several soldiers dead. The fighting inflicted extensive damage in the city and prompted thousands of civilians to flee to safer areas.