A bomb exploded in a car south of Beirut on Saturday, killing at least two people in the vehicle and wounding passers-by, security officials said. The explosion occurred on Hadi Nasrallah highway in Beirut's southern suburbs during the morning rush hour, the officials said on condition of anonymity. The explosion tore apart the parked car, killing at least two people inside the vehicle and wounding an unknown number of passers-by, they added. The officials identified one of the two victims as Ali Hussein Saleh, the car's driver, whose body was mutilated and charred by the explosion. Saleh was apparently heading to the Iranian Embassy, where he worked as a security official. The bomb, placed in the car's back seat, detonated after Saleh switched on the ignition and drove about yards, the officials added. The reason for the bombing, which occurred along a bustling street lined with shops, was not immediately clear. Beirut's southern suburbs are a stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, which led a guerrilla war against Israel's 18-year occupation of a border zone in southern Lebanon. Lebanese policemen and soldiers sealed off the area and began searching for other possible booby-trapped cars. Bearded Hezbollah security agents were seen inspecting the bomb scene. A Hezbollah spokesman declined to comment immediately on the incident, saying the group will issue a statement later. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Lebanese explosives experts and other inspectors looking at a car that was torn apart by a bomb explosion in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)