TRIPOLI, LEBANON — A roadside bomb targeting a bus carrying mostly soldiers shook the downtown of this northern city Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, 10 of them soldiers, and wounding more than 50 others, according to security officials.
No party claimed responsibility for the morning rush-hour attack. But analysts and military officials suggested that Islamic extremists might have carried out the bombing to avenge their losing a fierce months-long battle against the army in the region last year.
The explosion occurred during an army crackdown in Tripoli against sectarian violence between Sunnis supporting the country's Western-backed political bloc and a religious minority backing the Shiite militant organization Hezbollah.
"What happened is alarming. It is a bloody message to the army that has played a crucial role in keeping peace and stability in Tripoli lately," a senior military official said on condition of anonymity.
A statement issued by the military said that the blast targeted "directly the army and civil peace in the country," indicating that militants were seeking to exploit deep political tensions in Lebanon. The blast was the largest to strike the nation in months.
"The army and security forces will not yield to attempts to terrorize them with attacks and crimes," said Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, the former army chief who directed last year's siege against an Al Qaeda inspired group that had infiltrated a Palestinian refugee camp north of Tripoli. Several hundred militants and soldiers were killed in that fighting.
The attack came hours before Suleiman traveled to Damascus for a two-day summit to mend strained relations between Syria and Lebanon. Suleiman's visit is the first for a Lebanese president since Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon amid escalating tensions following the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The meeting between Suleiman and Syrian President Bashar Assad resulted in a breakthrough as the nations agreed to establish full diplomatic ties for the first time since each won independence in the 1940s. The countries have long been mistrustful of each other, especially given Syrian interference in Lebanese affairs, and the decision to open embassies was seen as a step toward ending years of assassinations and political intrigue.
