Hamas says 2 of its men killed in Lebanon blast

A mysterious explosion took place in a car carrying Hamas members in the southern suburbs of Beirut Saturday, Lebanese security sources reported.

Hama spokesman, Aiman Taha, told al-Arabiya TV on Sunday that a car bomb in a Hezbollah stronghold south of Beirut killed two Hamas figures and wounded three others.

"It is still early to determine who is behind this explosion," said Taha.  

Al-Arabiya reported that Lebanese authorities were examining whether the explosion was meant to target Ali Barakeh, Hamas' representative in Lebanon. Media reports of Saturday's incident were conflicting and unclear. Al-Arabiya also reported that two Hezbollah members arriving at the scene to dismantle the explosives were killed in the blast.

According to reports in Lebanon, the explosion took place in the trunk of a car parked in the Haret Hreik suburb, which is considered a Hezbollah neighborhood.

A Reuters reporter said ambulances were at the scene of the blast and barricades shut off the area about 200 meters from where the bomb exploded in a Hezbollah neighborhood.

The explosion comes days following the decision to include Lebanon in the United Nations Security Council, as well as the Lebanese prime minister's historic visit to Damascus.

Lebanon joined the Security Council as the representative of the group of Arab countries, in place of Libya – despite the fact that Hezbollah recently joined the state's government.

Hezbollah's inclusion in the Lebanese government officially put an end to the United States' hopes for a pro-American government in Beirut. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's visit to Syria also demonstrated that the state is leaning in the Syrian government's favor.