Lebanon's caretaker Defence Minister Elias al-Murr has been wounded in a car-bomb attack on his motorcade in the capital, Beirut.
Police reported that several people had been killed and wounded in the bomb blast, but did not give figures. They added that the minister was slightly wounded.
Tuesday morning's blast occurred in a busy Christian suburb of the city, police added.
Director of Aljazeera's office in Lebanon, Ghassan bin Jiddo, reporting from the scene, said the explosion was so fierce the area had been badly damaged and blackened.
At the scene
He said one of al-Murr's companions had been seriously injured, and that al-Murr, who is also deputy prime minister, had been slightly injured in the face and had been transferred to a nearby hospital.
A Lebanese military judge had arrived at the scene, he added.
Television pictures showed victims covered in blood, with one being helped out of a car on to a stretcher by rescue workers.
The pictures also showed the burning shells of two cars, as well as what appeared to be a corpse.
According to rescue services on the scene, an unidentified person was killed in the blast.
Al- Murr, the son-in-law of President Emile Lahoud was taken to Serhal hospital, where an employee said his condition was "good".
Seven people were hospitalised, some of them with serious injuries, hospital sources said.
The attack is the latest in a series targeting politicians and journalists since the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri on 14 February this year.
Political comment
Abd al-Rahim Murad, a former Lebanese defence minister, said he believed the objective behind such operations was to cause disorder in the country.
"Such attacks aim to damage the security and economic situations in the country," he said.
"Elias al-Murr is a neutral person and a prominent figure of the Lebanese national work," he said.
Murad accused what he described as "foreign Western sides" of inciting the forces attempting to cause chaos in the country.
"It is very natural to point the accusation finger at the Zionist enemy that seeks to cause chaos and trigger enmity between us, particularly following the elections that were carried out in Lebanon.
"We hope the government will soon be formed so it would help to maintain security in the country and halt this disorder which has been taking place during the last three months," he added.
"Al-Murr is President Lahoud's son-in-law," Murad said. "Therefore, this attack is a very harsh message.
"We hope the current security authorities will be able to learn who is behind the explosion.
"We, members of the former government, used to be accused of not being able to maintain security," he said.
"Now, we have the right to question the role of the current security. Why are they not able to maintain security and learn the sides behind these explosions?" he added.
PHOTO CAPTION
Lebanese Special Forces inspect the charred car that exploded hitting the motorcade of Lebanon's outgoing deputy Prime Minister Elias Murr in the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 12, 2005. (AP)