One person killed in Beirut explosion

One person has died after an explosion destroyed a car in a busy neighbourhood in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, today.

The blast happened in Mazraa, killing the driver of the vehicle. The cause of the explosion and the dead man’s identity are unknown.

In January, Elie Hobeika, the former leader of the pro-Israeli Phalangist militia, was killed along with three of his bodyguards in a car bomb in Lebanon.

Mr Hobeika had just given a statement to Belgian lawyers attempting to bring Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to justice for alleged crimes against humanity.