A bomb explosion in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least nine people and left 31 others injured, according to security officials.
The blast hit a military bus in central Nour Square early on Wednesday, officials said.
The majority of the dead were reported to be Lebanese soldiers.
The explosion happened near a bus pick-up point in the busy commercial district as people head to work.
Television footage showed a small bus heavily damaged by shrapnel from the blast. Shattered glass could be seen lying in the streets.
Tripoli was the scene of bloody sectarian fighting last month as clashes between members of the rival Sunni Muslim and Alawite communities in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tibbaneh and Jabal Mohsen killed 23 people.
Bab al-Tebbaneh is a stronghold of the parliamentary majority while the inhabitants of Jabal Mohsen mainly support the Hezbollah-led opposition.
Last year the port city was the scene of fierce fighting between Lebanese security forces and members of the Fatah al-Islam group in the nearby Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp. The army lost 170 soldiers in the fighting.
The explosion comes the day after a power-sharing cabinet led by Fouad Siniora, the prime minister, won a vote of confidence in parliament.
It also coincides with the visit of Michel Sleiman, Lebanon's president, to neighboring Syria for talks on establishing diplomatic ties.
PHOTO CAPTION
Soldiers inspect the area following a bomb blast in the port city of Tripoli in north Lebanon August 13, 2008.
Al-Jazeera