4 wounded in restaurant bomb attack in southern Lebanon

Map of Lebanon from the CIA World Factbook. Tyre is near the southern border (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

TYRE, Lebanon, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Four people were slightly wounded in a bomb explosion that occurred late Sunday night outside a restaurant in Lebanon's southern city of Tyre.

The blast went off shortly after midnight, targeting Nocean Restaurant which is located on the third floor of a three-story commercial building on the eastern outskirts of the city.

Chairs and tables were blown into the street by the force of explosion. Several car windows were shattered and one vehicle was damaged. A few walls inside the building also collapsed.

The wounded included two Lebanese and two Palestinian employees, who were closing the restaurant for the night when the explosion occurred. They had been treated at local hospitals and were later discharged, the sources added.

The building in which Nocean is located also houses businesses and other restaurants, including a McDonald's branch.

Nocean serves alcohol, but security services have yet to determine whether that was the motive for the attack. Nevertheless, the proprietor is convinced that the sale of alcohol is what triggered the bombing.

Security forces cordoned off the area pending the collection of crime scene evidence.

Posted in: Lebanon, Middle East, Tyre Lebanon