Lebanon car bomb hits Hezbollah stronghold near border

The attack follows another bombing in Hermel in January

A car bomb has exploded in a Hezbollah stronghold near Lebanon's northern border with Syria, killing at least four people, officials say.

The blast happened near a petrol station in the eastern town of Hermel in the Bekaa Valley, state media said.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said he believed it was the work of a suicide bomber.

Lebanon's Shia Islamist movement, Hezbollah, has been supporting government forces in Syria.

The conflict has fuelled sectarian violence in Lebanon, including a series of car bombings in Beirut and Tripoli that have killed dozens of people.

Five people were killed and 20 others injured in a bombing in Hermel on 16 January.

No group has said it carried out Saturday's attack.

Local television showed pictures of a large fireball lighting up the area, and burning cars.

At least 15 people were injured.

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