A Christian neighbourhood in Beirut, Lebanon has been shaken by a car bomb attack in the early hours of Saturday morning. Preliminary reports indicate that seven people have been injured and extensive damage has been caused to the immediate are under attack.

Some witnesses reported to the press that the car carrying the bomb was trying to pull over by a popular bingo gaming hall, but alert security guards moved the car along away from the busy area. It is thought that from here the driver took the car a short way down the road and minutes later the explosion occurred.

Associated Press reports have stated that at least seven people have been badly injured in the blast, which destroyed the fronts of some of the building structures near-by.

A gigantic seven-foot-deep crater was created by the explosion, and near-by parked cars as well as shops were damaged for several blocks away from the crater.

The attack came in the New Jdeideh neighbourhood and the exact target of the attack is still not clear. However, it is clear that the attack has added to the tension in Lebanon’s capital which has arisen since former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated on 14th February. This tension had since led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops east of Lebanon and Syria.

Hariri was killed in a huge explosion in downtown Beirut, and since then hundreds and thousands of Lebanese have taken part in demonstrations and protests for and against Syria.

It has been reported that many anti-Syrian opposition protestors include a large number of Maronite Christians who are part of the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church.